Shloka 28
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
यानि तूभयतो राजन प्रतप्तानि महान्ति च | तानि युद्धानि वक्ष्यामि कौन्तेयस्य तवानघ,निष्पाप नरेश! जो युद्ध दोनों पक्षके योद्धाओंके लिये अधिक कष्टदायक और महान् थे, अर्जुनके उन्हीं युद्धोंका मैं यहाँ तुमसे वर्णन करूँगा
yāni tūbhayato rājan prataptāni mahānti ca | tāni yuddhāni vakṣyāmi kaunteyasya tavānagha niṣpāpa nareśa ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Oh rey, aquellas batallas que fueron penosas para ambos bandos y verdaderamente grandes por su magnitud—esas mismas guerras de Arjuna, oh señor de los hombres sin mancha—te las relataré ahora».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war ethically through its human cost: the narrator highlights battles as “grievous to both sides,” reminding the listener that even ‘great’ wars are measured not only by victory but by the suffering they inflict.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses King Janamejaya and announces that he will now recount the major and most painful battles involving Arjuna, setting up a detailed narration of those conflicts.