Shloka 12
Rājagṛhe Magadheśvarasya yuddhāhvānam — Arjunena saṃyamaḥ
The Rājagṛha Challenge and Arjuna’s Restraint
तांक्षापि विजयो जित्वा नातितीव्रेण कर्मणा । तुरज़्मवशेनाथ सुराष्ट्रानभितो ययौ
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tāṃś cāpi Vijayo jitvā nātitīvreṇa karmaṇā | turagām avaśenātha Surāṣṭrān abhito yayau ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having also subdued them, Vijaya did so without resorting to excessively harsh measures. Then, compelled by the wandering course of the sacrificial horse, he proceeded around the region of Surāṣṭra.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory should be exercised with restraint: conquest is not an excuse for cruelty. The verse highlights dharmic kingship—subduing opposition without excessive harshness—and frames power as accountable to ethical conduct.
After subduing the concerned groups/regions, Vijaya continues the Ashvamedha progress by following the sacrificial horse’s wandering path, moving around Surāṣṭra as the horse leads, rather than choosing targets purely by ambition.