Shloka 7
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
“भरतनन्दन! कुन्तीकुमार! पहले याचकों, पितरों और देवताओंके ऋणसे उऋण हो लो, फिर वह सब करना ।। सर्वमेधाश्वमेधाभ्यां यजस्व कुरुनन्दन । ततः पश्चान्महाराज गमिष्यसि परां गतिम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
bharatanandana! kuntīkumāra! pūrvaṃ yācakānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ devatānāṃ ca ṛṇena uṛṇaḥ bhava, tataḥ paraṃ tat sarvaṃ kuru ||
sarvamedhāśvamedhābhyāṃ yajasva kurunandana |
tataḥ paścān mahārāja gamiṣyasi parāṃ gatim ||
毗舍波衍那说道：“噢，婆罗多族之欢，噢，昆蒂之子——先当解除你所负诸债：对求乞者之债（以布施偿之）、对祖先之债（以祭仪与延续宗嗣偿之）、对诸天之债（以祭祀偿之）。唯有在尽释这些义务之后，方可从事其余一切。噢，俱卢之荣，当行萨尔瓦梅达祭与马祭（Aśvamedha）；其后，噢，大王，你将抵达至高之境。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a ruler (and by extension any householder) should first discharge foundational obligations—generosity to those who ask, rites and responsibility toward ancestors, and worship/sacrifice toward the gods—before pursuing other aims. Ethical life is framed as clearing ‘debts’ (ṛṇa) through dāna, pitṛ-kārya, and yajña, culminating in the highest good (parā gati).
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Vaiśampāyana reports counsel addressed to the Kuru king (implicitly Yudhiṣṭhira): he is urged to fulfill religious and social duties and to perform major royal sacrifices (Sarvamedha and Aśvamedha). The advice links kingship with ritual responsibility and moral accountability, promising an exalted end after these duties are completed.