Shloka 6
Aśvamedha-dīkṣā, Vyāsa’s horse-release, and Arjuna’s departure with Gāṇḍīva (आश्वमेधिक-दीक्षा तथा हय-उत्सर्गः)
तमुत्सूज यथाशास्त्रं पृथिवीं सागराम्बराम् | स पर्येतु यशो दीप्तं तव पार्थिव दर्शयन्
tam utsṛjya yathāśāstraṃ pṛthivīṃ sāgarāmbarām | sa paryetu yaśo dīptaṃ tava pārthiva darśayan |
“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.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should act in strict accordance with śāstra, especially in public rites like the Aśvamedha; lawful procedure is presented as the basis of political legitimacy and ethical rule, while the roaming horse becomes a visible sign of rightful sovereignty and earned renown.
Vyāsa instructs the king to release the chosen sacrificial horse by proper ritual rule so it may wander across the earth up to the ocean-bounds, thereby publicly displaying the king’s authority and spreading his illustrious fame as part of the Aśvamedha.