Shloka 1.39.7
सगरयज्ञाश्वहरणम् — The Stolen Sacrificial Horse of Sagara
तस्य पर्वणि तं यज्ञं यजमानस्य वासव:।राक्षसीं तनुमास्थाय यज्ञीयाश्वमपाहरत्।।1.39.7।।
tasya parvaṇi taṃ yajñaṃ yajamānasya vāsavaḥ | rākṣasīṃ tanum āsthāya yajñīyāśvam apāharat || 1.39.7 ||
On the concluding sacred parvan-day, while Sagara was officiating in the yajña, Vāsava (Indra), assuming a rākṣasa-like form, stole away the horse meant for the rite.
On the concluding day of the fortnight (full moon day) while the sacrifice was being performed, Vasava (Indra) assuming the form of rakshasa, had stolen away Sagara's sacrificial horse.
The verse highlights the sanctity of yajña and the moral disorder created when sacred duties are obstructed through deceit. Dharma here is the protection of rightful ritual action and social order against adharma (wrongful interference).
During King Sagara’s Aśvamedha at a crucial concluding parvan moment, Indra disguises himself in a rākṣasa-like form and steals the sacrificial horse, threatening the completion of the rite.
Implicitly, the virtue expected is steadfast responsibility in protecting dharmic acts—especially a king’s duty to safeguard sacred rites and public order when they are endangered.