Shloka 36

Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha

Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधं क्रतुवरं नरमेधं तथैव च

Transliteration

aśvamedhaṃ kratuvaraṃ naramedhaṃ tathaiva ca

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “(He performed) the Aśvamedha, the foremost of sacrifices, and likewise the Naramedha as well.” The line evokes the epic’s concern with royal power expressed through grand rites, while also hinting at the ethical tension around extreme sacrificial ideals and the limits of dharma.

Word by Word

• अश्वमेधम्: the horse-sacrifice
• अश्वमेधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• क्रतुवरम्: the best sacrifice (as an epithet)
• क्रतुवरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रतुवर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• नरमेधम्: the man-sacrifice
• नरमेधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरमेध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus; likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed; just; also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Aśvamedha
• Naramedha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how kingship is portrayed through great sacrificial rites, while implicitly raising dharmic questions about the moral boundaries of ritual power—especially when rites are described in extreme terms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is listing major sacrifices performed—specifically the Aśvamedha, praised as a supreme royal rite, and additionally the Naramedha—within a broader account of ritual acts and their significance.