Shloka 1
Rājagṛhe Magadheśvarasya yuddhāhvānam — Arjunena saṃyamaḥ
The Rājagṛha Challenge and Arjuna’s Restraint
अफ्--णक+ ग्रय्शीतितमो<ध्याय: दक्षिण और पश्चिम समुद्रके तटवर्ती देशोंमें होते हुए अश्वका द्वारका, पज्चनद एवं गान्धार देशमें प्रवेश वैशम्पायन उवाच मागधेनार्चितो राजन् पाण्डव: श्वेतवाहन: । दक्षिणां दिशमास्थाय चारयामास तं हयम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! मगधराजसे पूजित हो पाण्डुपुत्र श्वेतवाहन अर्जुनने दक्षिण दिशाका आश्रय ले उस घोड़ेको घुमाना आरम्भ किया
Vaiśampāyana uvāca—māgadhenārcito rājan pāṇḍavaḥ śvetavāhanaḥ | dakṣiṇāṃ diśam āsthāya cārayām āsa taṃ hayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O King Janamejaya, the Pāṇḍava Arjuna—he whose chariot is drawn by white horses—having been honored by the king of Magadha, set out toward the southern quarter and began to lead the sacrificial horse of the Aśvamedha on its roaming course.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule is affirmed through dharmic means: public honor, ritual restraint, and orderly procedure. The Aśvamedha’s roaming horse symbolizes sovereignty, but it is framed as a lawful, socially recognized act rather than mere aggression.
After being received and honored in Magadha, Arjuna (Śvetavāhana) begins the next phase of the Aśvamedha by taking the sacrificial horse southward, letting it roam as part of the rite that tests and proclaims the emperor’s authority.