Shloka 5
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
कृष्णाजिनी दण्डपाणि: क्षौमवासा: स धर्मज: । विबभौ द्युतिमान् भूय: प्रजापतिरिवाध्वरे,काला मृगचर्म, हाथमें दण्ड और रेशमी वस्त्र धारण किये धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्छिर अधिक कान्तिमान् हो यज्ञमण्डपमें प्रजापतिकी भाँति शोभा पा रहे थे
kṛṣṇājinī daṇḍapāṇiḥ kṣaumavāsāḥ sa dharmajaḥ | vibabhau dyutimān bhūyaḥ prajāpatir ivādhvare ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Wearing a black antelope-skin, holding a staff in his hand, and clad in fine linen, that son of Dharma—King Yudhiṣṭhira—shone with renewed radiance, appearing in the sacrificial arena like Prajāpati himself. The scene underscores how rightful kingship expresses itself through disciplined, Vedic restraint and the ethical ordering of power in a consecrated rite.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule is portrayed as grounded in dharma and self-restraint: the king’s radiance arises not from conquest alone but from disciplined participation in sanctifying rites that order power toward the welfare of beings.
During the Aśvamedha setting, Yudhiṣṭhira appears in the sacrificial arena wearing ritual/ascetic insignia (antelope-skin, staff, linen). The narrator likens his renewed splendor to Prajāpati, emphasizing his role as a dharmic sovereign presiding over a consecrated act.