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
Sinabi ni Ghūlastya: “Ito’y isang tiyak na pasya: sa anim na pook na pinagbagsakan ng kahoy na śamī, nakakamit ang gantimpala—mula pa sa (gantimpala ng) pagbuo ng bunton ng langgam (valmīka). Nakakamit din ang bunga na tila nagkaloob ng isang libong mapusyaw-kayumangging baka, at ang bunga ng pagsasagawa ng handog na 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.