Shloka 9
युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya
षट्सु शम्यानिपातेषु वल्मीकादिति निश्चय: । कपिलानां सहस्रं च वाजिमेधं च विन्दति
ṣaṭsu śamyānipāteṣu valmīkād iti niścayaḥ | kapilānāṁ sahasraṁ ca vājimedhaṁ ca vindati
Ghūlastya disse: “É conclusão firmada que, nos seis lugares onde a madeira de śamī é derrubada, obtém-se mérito, começando pelo (mérito de) erguer um formigueiro (valmīka). Também se alcança o fruto (da doação) de mil vacas de pelagem fulva, e o fruto de realizar o sacrifício Aśvamedha.”
घुलस्त्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that specific ritual acts and sacred observances—performed at prescribed places—are believed to yield immense religious merit, comparable to major royal sacrifices and large-scale gifts. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s broader ethic that dharma is supported by disciplined, tradition-guided action and reverence for sacred rites.
Ghūlastya is describing the spiritual efficacy of certain ritual locations/actions connected with the śamī tree, asserting as a firm conclusion that performing the observance at six such points grants extraordinary merit—likened to the rewards of donating a thousand kapilā cows and performing the Aśvamedha.