Bhīmasena’s Eastern Digvijaya and the Cedi Reception
Sabhā-parva 26
अजुन उवाच कुरूणामृषभो राजा धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर: । धर्मज्ञ: सत्यसंधश्न यज्वा विपुलदक्षिण:
arjuna uvāca
kurūṇām ṛṣabho rājā dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
dharmajñaḥ satyasaṃdhaś ca yajvā vipuladakṣiṇaḥ ||
Arjuna nói: “Đại vương! Yudhiṣṭhira, con của Thần Dharma, là bậc quân vương—đứng đầu trong hàng Kuru. Người am tường đạo lý, giữ vững lời chân thật, và là bậc tế tự ban phát lễ vật dồi dào.”
अजुन उवाच
Legitimate sovereignty is grounded in dharma: truthfulness, knowledge of righteous conduct, and generosity—especially the capacity to give (dakṣiṇā) in sacrificial and public duties—mark a ruler as worthy of honor and pre-eminence.
Arjuna praises Yudhiṣṭhira as the foremost Kuru king, emphasizing his dharmic character and generosity. In the broader Sabha-parvan setting, this supports the claim that Yudhiṣṭhira deserves recognition and the status associated with imperial rites such as the Rājasūya.