Mahabharata 1.86.19 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 86, Shloka 19
Āśramadharma and the Marks of the Muni
Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Saṃvāda
अभिषेक्तुकामं नृपतिं पूरुं पुत्र कनीयसम् । ब्राह्मणप्रमुखा वर्णा इदं वचनमनब्लुवन्
abhīṣektukāmaṁ nṛpatiṁ pūruṁ putra kanīyasam | brāhmaṇapramukhā varṇā idaṁ vacanam abruvan |
अभिषेक्तुकामं नृपतिं पूरुं पुत्रं कनीयसम् । ब्राह्मणप्रमुखा वर्णा इदं वचनमब्रुवन् ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate kingship is not merely personal preference; it is expected to align with dharma and established social-ethical norms, and wise counsel—especially from respected elders and learned leaders—serves as a corrective to potentially disruptive decisions.
King Yayāti intends to consecrate his younger son Pūru as ruler. Seeing this, the leading groups of society, headed by the Brāhmaṇas, approach the king and begin to address him, implying concern about the propriety and consequences of bypassing customary succession expectations.
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