Shloka 4
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
त॑ वपाधूमगन्ध॑ तु धर्मराज: सहानुजै:
taṁ vapādhūmagandhaṁ tu dharmarājaḥ sahānujaiḥ
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Da nahm Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) zusammen mit seinen jüngeren Brüdern den Geruch des Rauches wahr, der aus dem Opferfett aufstieg—ein Vorzeichen, dass das Ritual regelgemäß voranschritt, und eine Mahnung, dass königliche Macht unter der Zucht des Dharma auszuüben ist.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a victorious king must remain bound to dharma: the sacrificial setting symbolizes that political authority is legitimate only when disciplined by righteous ritual order and responsibility.
Vaiśampāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira, accompanied by his younger brothers, noticing the odor of smoke from the sacrificial fat—an atmospheric detail indicating the ongoing Aśvamedha rite and the Pāṇḍavas’ participation in it.