Shloka 49
बभ्रुवाहन-धनंजययोः संग्रामः
Babhruvāhana and Dhanaṃjaya’s engagement at Maṇipūra
क्रमेण स हयस्त्वेवं विचरन् पुरुषर्षभ । मणिपूरपतेद्देशमुपायात् सहपाण्डव:,पुरुषप्रवर जनमेजय! इस प्रकार क्रमश: विचरण करता हुआ वह अश्व अर्जुनसहित मणिपुर-नरेशके राज्यमें जा पहुँचा
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: krameṇa sa hayas tv evaṁ vicaran puruṣarṣabha | maṇipūrapateḥ deśam upāyāt saha-pāṇḍavaḥ, puruṣapravara janamejaya |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O bull among men, as that horse thus wandered step by step in due course, it arrived in the realm of the lord of Maṇipūra, accompanied by the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna). O Janamejaya, foremost of men!”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic kingship expressed through ritual order: the Aśvamedha horse moves according to prescribed custom, and any challenge to its passage is to be met under kṣatriya responsibility, not arbitrary aggression—authority is validated through regulated conduct.
The sacrificial horse, guarded by Arjuna, continues its sanctioned wanderings and enters the territory of Maṇipūra, setting up the next encounter with the local ruler as part of the Aśvamedha’s progress.