Shloka 41

Devanagari script

न व | / |! ( ४ 5 ॥ भक्ष्यखाण्डवरागाणां क्रियतां भुज्यतां तथा । पशूनां बध्यतां चैव नान्‍्तं ददृशिरे जना:

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | bhakṣya-khāṇḍava-rāgāṇāṃ kriyatāṃ bhujyatāṃ tathā | paśūnāṃ badhyatāṃ caiva nāntaṃ dadṛśire janāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Speisen und das süße Getränk namens khāṇḍava-rāga wurden in solcher Fülle bereitet und verzehrt, dass die Menschen kein Ende davon erblicken konnten; ebenso schien die Zahl der dort angebundenen Tiere grenzenlos. Die Szene hebt das überwältigende Ausmaß königlicher Gastfreundschaft und ritueller Vorsorge hervor und lenkt zugleich den Blick auf das ethische Gewicht des Tierbindens im Opferzusammenhang.

Word by Word

• भक्ष्यखाण्डवरागाणाम्: of edible items and khāṇḍavarāga (a sweet drink/preparation)
• भक्ष्यखाण्डवरागाणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य-खाण्डवराग
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• क्रियताम्: let (it) be made / should be prepared
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Imperative, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• भुज्यताम्: let (it) be eaten / should be consumed
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्
• Form: Imperative, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• तथा: likewise; also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• पशूनाम्: of animals
• पशूनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• बध्यताम्: let (them/it) be bound/tied
• Type: Verb
• Root: बन्ध्
• Form: Imperative, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed; just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अन्तम्: end; limit
• अन्तम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ददृशिरे: they saw; they perceived
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Plural, Atmanepada

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• janāḥ (people)
• bhakṣya (foods)
• khāṇḍava-rāga (sweetened khāṇḍava preparation)
• paśu (animals)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the immense scale of ritual hospitality and provisioning in an Aśvamedha setting, while implicitly foregrounding the moral seriousness of animal-binding within sacrificial practice—abundance and power are shown alongside the ethical burden of ritual means.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the Aśvamedha-related proceedings, vast quantities of food and khāṇḍava-rāga are being prepared and consumed, and numerous animals are kept bound; observers report that they cannot discern any limit to either the provisions or the animals present.