Shloka 20
Aśvatthāman’s Admonition to Karṇa on Boasting, Varṇa-Duties, and the Threat of Arjuna
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 45
यस्य याते न पश्यन्ति भूमौ क्षिप्तं पद पदम् | दक्षिणां यो धुरं युक्त: सुग्रीवसदृशो हय:,जो घोड़ा दाहिनी धुरीमें जोता गया है तथा जिसके जाते समय लोग यह नहीं देख पाते कि उसने कब कहाँ पृथ्वीपर पैर रखा या उठाया है, यह (भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके चार अश्रोंमेंसे) सुग्रीव नामक घोड़ेके समान है
yasya yāte na paśyanti bhūmau kṣiptaṃ pada padam | dakṣiṇāṃ yo dhuraṃ yuktaḥ sugrīvasadṛśo hayaḥ ||
Uttara said: “That horse, whose hoof-falls cannot be discerned—so swift that people do not see, step by step, where on the earth its feet were set down or lifted—is the one yoked to the right side of the yoke-pole; it is like the horse named Sugrīva (one of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s four famed steeds).”
उत्तर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights excellence in duty through mastery of means: in a martial context, the quality of one’s equipment and training (here, a supremely swift, well-yoked horse) supports effective action. Ethically, it underscores preparedness and competence as part of responsible conduct in perilous situations.
Uttara is describing a remarkable chariot-horse—identified with Sugrīva, famed among Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s four horses—emphasizing its extraordinary speed and noting its position yoked on the right side of the chariot.