Shloka 173
अभितो वर्तमानस्य यथोच्चै:श्रवसस्तथा । उच्चै:श्रवाके समान वेगवान् और पास ही विद्यमान उस यज्ञसम्बन्धी घोड़ेकी टापसे उड़ी हुई धूल आकाशमें अद्भुत शोभा पा रही थी
abhito vartamānasya yathoccaiḥśravasas tathā | uccaiḥśravāke samāna vegavān ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “As that sacrificial horse moved about nearby, it surged forward with a speed comparable to Uccaiḥśravas. The dust raised by its hooves spread through the sky and took on a wondrous beauty.”
युधिष्ठिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ideal of dharmic kingship expressed through properly conducted royal sacrifice: the king’s authority is portrayed as legitimate and auspicious when aligned with ritual order and restraint, symbolized by the magnificent, divinely comparable sacrificial horse.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes the Aśvamedha horse moving close by with extraordinary speed like the celestial horse Uccaiḥśravas; the dust from its hooves rises and appears splendid in the sky, heightening the grandeur and auspicious atmosphere of the sacrifice.