Shloka 12
एष गच्छति कौन्तेय तुरगश्चैव दीप्तिमान् यमन्वेति महाबाहु: संस्पृशन् धनुरुत्तमम्,(लोग कहते थे--) *ये कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन जा रहे हैं और वह दीप्तिमान् अश्व जा रहा है, जिसके पीछे महाबाहु अर्जुन उत्तम धनुष धारण किये जा रहे हैं!
eṣa gacchati kaunteya turagaś caiva dīptimān yam anveti mahābāhuḥ saṃspṛśan dhanur uttamam
Vaiśampāyana said: “There goes Arjuna, the son of Kuntī; and there goes the radiant sacrificial horse. Following it is the mighty-armed Arjuna, keeping his hand upon his excellent bow.” Thus people spoke, marking both the public visibility of the rite and Arjuna’s vigilant guardianship in service of Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma in action: a royal rite (Aśvamedha) requires disciplined protection. Arjuna’s hand on the bow symbolizes restrained power—readiness to defend the ritual order without needless aggression.
As the Aśvamedha horse roams, people point out the procession: the radiant horse goes ahead and Arjuna, Kuntī’s son, follows closely, prepared with his bow to meet any challenge to the sacrifice’s authority.