कृतः प्रयत्नो हि महानमृतार्थं त्वया शठ । अश्वमेधशतेनैव यद्राज्यं प्राप्तवानसि । अपि तच्च पराधीन तन्न जानासि दुर्मते
kṛtaḥ prayatno hi mahānamṛtārthaṃ tvayā śaṭha | aśvamedhaśatenaiva yadrājyaṃ prāptavānasi | api tacca parādhīna tanna jānāsi durmate
O Betrüger, du hast große Anstrengung um der „Unsterblichkeit“ willen auf dich genommen. Durch hundert Aśvamedha-Opfer erlangtest du die Herrschaft; doch selbst diese ist von einer anderen Macht abhängig—das begreifst du in deinem verkehrten Urteil nicht.
Unknown (Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative voice; addressing a proud ruler/deity—context suggests Indra)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha
Type: kshetra
Scene: Indra is confronted: behind him, symbolic imagery of a grand Aśvamedha arena fades like a mirage, while the austere Kedāra landscape and liṅga remain steady; the message: sovereignty is borrowed, not absolute.
Ritual power and political sovereignty are not absolute; without higher grace and right understanding, they remain dependent and unstable.
The Kedāra region frames the chapter, but this verse critiques pride in sacrifice and rulership rather than praising a specific tirtha.
Aśvamedha is referenced as an act performed, not prescribed; the verse warns against relying on ritual for egoic immortality.