Shloka 18
Kubera’s Arrival and the Disclosure of Agastya’s Curse
Vaiśaṃpāyana–Janamejaya Narrative
पूज्यमानाश्र वर्धन्ते हव्यकव्यैर्यथाविधि । वयं राष्ट्रस्य गोप्तारो रक्षितारश्न राक्षस,क्योंकि मनुष्यद्वारा हव्य और कव्यसे विधिपूर्वक पूजित होनेपर उनकी वृद्धि होती है। राक्षस! हमलोग राष्ट्रके पालक और संरक्षक हैं
pūjyamānāś ca vardhante havyakavyair yathāvidhi | vayaṁ rāṣṭrasya goptāro rakṣitāraś ca rākṣasa ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Quando são devidamente honrados com as oferendas prescritas —havis e kavya— crescem em força e prosperidade. Ó Rākṣasa, nós somos os guardiões e protetores do reino.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Properly performed ritual offerings—both to the gods (havya) and to the ancestors (kavya)—are presented as sustaining and strengthening the cosmic-social order; alongside this, the speaker asserts a duty of rājadharma: to guard and protect the kingdom.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a statement is made to a Rākṣasa emphasizing that beings prosper when duly honoured with prescribed offerings, and the speakers identify themselves as the realm’s appointed guardians and defenders, framing their stance in terms of protection and lawful order.