Adhyaya 72

Verse 1

व बछ। डिश द्विसप्ततितमो< ध्याय: व्यासजीकी आज्ञासे अश्वकी रक्षाके लिये अर्जुनकी

Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, when Kṛṣṇa had spoken thus, the wise Yudhiṣṭhira—the son of Dharma—addressed Vyāsa and said: ‘Revered sir, when you judge the proper time to begin the Aśvamedha sacrifice, please come and confer the dīkṣā (consecration) upon me; for this sacrifice of mine depends entirely upon you.’”

Verse 2

यदा कालं भवान्‌ वेत्ति हयमेधस्य तत्त्वतः । दीक्षयस्व तदा मां त्व॑ त्वय्यायत्तो हि मे क्रतुः

Yudhiṣṭhira, the righteous son of Dharma, addressed Vyāsa after Kṛṣṇa’s counsel: “Revered sir, when you truly discern the proper time for the Aśvamedha, then initiate me for it with dīkṣā. For this sacrifice of mine depends entirely upon you.”

Verse 3

व्यास उवाच अहं पैलो5थ कौन्तेय याज्ञवल्क्यस्तथैव च । विधानं यद्‌ यथाकालं तत्‌ कर्तारो न संशय:

Vyāsa said: “O son of Kuntī, when the proper time for the sacrifice arrives, I—together with Paila and Yājñavalkya—will come and carry out the entire prescribed procedure in due order. Of this there is no doubt.”

Verse 4

चैत्रयां हि पौर्णमास्यां तु तव दीक्षा भविष्यति । सम्भारा: सम्ध्रियन्तां च यज्ञार्थ पुरुषर्षभ,पुरुषप्रवर! आगामी चैत्रकी पूर्णिमाको तुम्हें यज्ञकी दीक्षा दी जायगी, तबतक तुम उसके लिये सामग्री संचित करो

Vyāsa said: “On the full-moon day of the month of Caitra, your consecration for the sacrifice will take place. Therefore, O bull among men, O foremost of persons, let the requisite materials be gathered and kept ready for the rite.”

Verse 5

अश्वविद्याविदश्वैव सूता विप्राश्न तद्विद: । मेध्यमश्चं परीक्षन्तां तव यज्ञार्थसिद्धये,अश्वविद्याके ज्ञाता सूत और ब्राह्मण यज्ञार्थकी सिद्धिके लिये पवित्र अश्वकी परीक्षा करें

Vyāsa said: “Let the charioteers and the Brahmins who are skilled in the science of horses—those who truly know it—examine the consecrated, ritually pure horse, so that your sacrifice may be properly accomplished.”

Verse 6

तमुत्सूज यथाशास्त्रं पृथिवीं सागराम्बराम्‌ | स पर्येतु यशो दीप्तं तव पार्थिव दर्शयन्‌

“Release that horse in accordance with the scriptural injunctions. Let it roam over the whole earth, girdled by the ocean, proclaiming and making manifest your radiant fame, O king.”

Verse 7

वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त: स तथेत्युक्त्वा पाण्डव: पृथिवीपति: । चकार सर्व राजेन्द्र यथोक्तं ब्रह्मवादिना

Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of kings, the Pāṇḍava—lord of the earth—hearing these words, replied, ‘So be it; well said,’ and carried out every act exactly as Vyāsa, the knower of Brahman, had enjoined.”

Verse 8

सम्भाराश्रैव राजेन्द्र सर्वे संकल्पिता5भवन्‌ | स सम्भारान्‌ समाहृत्य नृपो धर्मसुतस्तदा

Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of kings, all the required preparations were duly resolved upon and arranged. Then that king, Dharma’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira), having gathered the necessary materials, proceeded accordingly.”

Verse 9

न्यवेदयदमेयात्मा कृष्णद्वैपायनाय वै | राजेन्द्र! उन्होंने मनमें जिन-जिन सामानोंको एकत्र करनेका संकल्प किया था

Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of kings, the high-souled Yudhiṣṭhira—Dharma’s son—having gathered all the requisites he had resolved in his mind to assemble, informed Śrī Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana Vyāsa. Thereupon the mighty, radiant Vyāsa addressed that righteous prince.”

Verse 10

स्फ्यश्व कूर्चश्ष सौवर्णो यच्चान्यदपि कौरव

Vaiśampāyana said: “(There were) the golden horse-ornament called the sphyāśva, the kūrcha, and whatever other (golden fittings) besides, O Kaurava.”

Verse 11

अश्वश्लोत्सृज्यतामद्य पृथ्व्यामथ यथाक्रमम्‌ । सुगुप्तं चरतां चापि यथाशास्त्रं यथाविधि

“Today, in accordance with the injunctions of the śāstra, the sacrificial horse should be released to wander, in due order, over the whole earth; and such protection must be arranged that it may roam safely in every direction, as the law and the rite prescribe.”

Verse 12

युधिछिर उवाच अयमश्वो यथा ब्रद्वान्नुत्सृष्ट: पृथिवीमिमाम्‌ । चरिष्यति यथाकामं तत्र वै संविधीयताम्‌

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Brāhmaṇa, here is the horse. Please arrange how it should be released so that it may roam over this entire earth according to its will. You yourself should make the proper provisions for this. And, O sage, also tell us: who should protect this horse as it wanders freely across the world?”

Verse 13

पृथिवीं पर्यटन्तं हि तुरगं कामचारिणम्‌ । कः पालयेदिति मुने तद्‌ भवान्‌ वक्तुमहति

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O sage, this horse is to roam over the earth at will. Please tell me—who should guard it, and how should it be released so that it may wander freely across the whole world according to its own course?”

Verse 14

वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त: स तु राजेन्द्र कृष्णद्वैपायनो5ब्रवीत्‌ । भीमसेनादवरज: श्रेष्ठ: सर्वधनुष्मताम्‌

Vaiśampāyana said: When this had been spoken, O best of kings, Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) replied: “O king, the younger brother of Bhīmasena—Arjuna—is the foremost among all wielders of the bow.”

Verse 15

जिष्णु: सहिष्णुर्धुष्णुश्न स एनं पालयिष्यति । शक्तः स हि महीं जेतुं निवातकवचान्तकः

Vaiśampāyana said: “That Jishnu—enduring, steadfast, and resolute—will protect this (horse). For he is indeed capable of conquering the earth, being the slayer of the Nivātakavacas.”

Verse 16

तस्मिन्‌ हा॒स्त्राणि दिव्यानि दिव्यं संहननं तथा । दिव्यं धनुश्वेषुधी च स एनमनुयास्यति,“उनके पास दिव्य अस्त्र, दिव्य कवच, दिव्य धनुष और दिव्य तरकस हैं; अतः वे ही इस घोड़ेके पीछे-पीछे जायँगे

Vaiśampāyana said: “He possesses celestial weapons, and likewise a celestial armor; he has a celestial bow and quivers as well. Therefore, he is the one who will follow behind this sacrificial horse.”

Verse 17

स हि धर्मार्थकुशल: सर्वविद्याविशारद: | यथाशास्त्र॑ नृपश्रेष्ठ चारयिष्यति ते हयम्‌

Vaiśampāyana said: “For he is skilled in dharma and artha, and thoroughly accomplished in all branches of knowledge. Therefore, O best of kings, he will conduct your sacrificial horse in strict accordance with the prescriptions of the śāstras.”

Verse 18

राजपुत्रो महाबाहु: श्यामो राजीवलोचन: । अभिमन्यो: पिता वीर: स एन पालयिष्यति

Vaiśampāyana said: “That prince—mighty-armed, dark-hued, lotus-eyed—Arjuna, the heroic father of Abhimanyu, will protect this horse.”

Verse 19

भीमसेनो5पि तेजस्वी कौन्तेयो5मितविक्रम: । समर्थों रक्षितु राष्ट्र नकुलश्व विशाम्पते

Vaiśampāyana said: “Bhīmasena too—the son of Kuntī—is radiant with prowess and of immeasurable valor. Nakula as well, O lord of the people, possesses these very qualities. Both are fully capable of protecting the kingdom; therefore they should attend to the affairs of the realm.”

Verse 20

सहदेवस्तु कौरव्य समाधास्यति बुद्धिमान । कुट॒म्बतन्त्रं विधिवत्‌ सर्वमेव महायशा:,“कुरुनन्दन! महायशस्वी बुद्धिमान्‌ सहदेव कुटुम्ब-पालनसम्बन्धी समस्त कार्योंकी देखभाल करेंगे”

Vaiśampāyana said: “O scion of the Kuru line, the wise and highly renowned Sahadeva will duly set in order and oversee the entire management of the household and its affairs.”

Verse 21

तत्‌ तु सर्व यथान्यायमुक्त: कुरुकुलोदह: । चकार फाल्गुनं चापि संदिदेश हयं प्रति

Vaiśampāyana said: Having been instructed in full according to what was proper, Yudhiṣṭhira—the foremost of the Kuru line—carried out everything in due and fitting manner. He then summoned Phālguna (Arjuna) and issued him instructions concerning the horse, appointing him to its protection as required for the Aśvamedha rite.

Verse 22

युधिछिर उवाच एहरार्जुन त्वया वीर हयो5यं परिपाल्यताम्‌ | त्वमहों रक्षितुं होनं नान्‍्य: कश्चनन मानव:

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Come here, heroic Arjuna. Let this horse be guarded by you. You alone are fit and capable to protect it; no other man is equal to this charge.”

Verse 23

ये चापि त्वां महाबाहो प्रत्युद्यान्ति नराधिपा: । तैर्विग्रहो यथा न स्यात्‌ तथा कार्य त्वयानघ

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O mighty-armed one, even those kings who come forth to oppose you—see to it, O blameless one, that no conflict arises with them. Strive, as far as possible, to accomplish your task in such a way that battle need not occur.”

Verse 24

आखूयातव्यश्व भवता यज्ञो5यं मम सर्वश: । पार्थिवे भ्यो महाबाहो समये गम्यतामिति,महाबाहो! मेरे इस यज्ञका समाचार तुम्हें समस्त राजाओंको बताना चाहिये और उनसे यह कहना चाहिये कि आपलोग यथासमय यज्ञमें पधारें

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Mighty-armed one, you must fully announce this sacrifice of mine to all the kings, and tell them: ‘Come to the sacrifice at the appointed time.’”

Verse 25

वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्त्वा स धर्मात्मा भ्रातरं सव्यसाचिनम्‌ | भीमं च नकुलं॑ चैव पुरगुप्ती समादधत्‌

Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus to his brother Arjuna, the ambidextrous archer, that righteous-souled king, Yudhiṣṭhira, then entrusted Bhīma and Nakula with the responsibility of guarding the city.

Verse 26

कुटुम्बतन्त्रे च तदा सहदेवं॑ युधां पतिम्‌ । अनुमान्य महीपाल धृतराष्ट्र युधिष्ठिर:

Vaiśampāyana said: Then, having obtained the assent of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Yudhiṣṭhira appointed Sahadeva—lord among warriors—to the administration of household and family affairs, ensuring that domestic order and dependents were maintained in accordance with duty.

Verse 71

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत आश्वमेधिकपर्वके अन्तर्गत अनुगीतापर्वमें श्रीकृष्ण और व्यासकी युधिष्ठिरको यज्ञ करनेके लिये आज्ञाविषयक इकह्ठत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Thus ends the seventy-first chapter of the Anugītā section within the Aśvamedhika Parva of the Śrī Mahābhārata, in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Vyāsa instruct Yudhiṣṭhira with an authoritative injunction to undertake a sacrificial rite. The closing formula marks the passage from counsel to action, emphasizing the king’s ethical duty to restore order through duly sanctioned ritual.

Verse 72

इति श्रीमहाभारते आश्वमेधिके पर्वणि अनुगीतापर्वणि यज्ञसामग्रीसम्पादने द्विसप्ततितमो<ध्याय:

Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Aśvamedhika Parva—specifically in the Anugītā section—ends the seventy-second chapter, which concerns the procurement and preparation of the materials required for a sacrificial rite. The colophon signals a dharma-governed transition from instruction to action: sacred duties are not merely taught, but must be carried out with proper means, discipline, and reverence.

Verse 96

यथाकालं यथायोगं सज्जा: सम तव दीक्षणे । तब महातेजस्वी व्यासने धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिससे कहा--'राजन्‌! हमलोग यथासमय उत्तम योग आनेपर तुम्हें दीक्षा देनेको तैयार हैं

Vaiśampāyana said: “At the proper time and in the proper manner, we are prepared for your consecration.” Then the great-splendored Vyāsa addressed King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma: “O King, when the auspicious and fitting moment arrives, we stand ready to initiate you.” The passage underscores that sacred rites must be undertaken with due timing, correct procedure, and disciplined readiness—an insistence on dharmic order even in royal action.

Verse 106

तत्र योग्यं भवेत्‌ किंचिद्‌ रौक्‍्मं तत्‌ क्रियतामिति । “कुरुनन्दन! इस बीचमें तुम सोनेके 'स्फ्य” और “कूर्चः बनवा लो तथा और भी जो सुवर्णमय सामान आवश्यक हों, उन्हें तैयार करा डालो

Vaiśampāyana said: “There, whatever golden article is appropriate should be made.” The instruction urges timely preparation of ritually suitable, pure materials—especially gold—for the forthcoming sacred proceedings, underscoring orderliness and propriety in dharmic action.