Shloka 19
Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse
देवकी सुप्रजा देवी त्वया पुरुषसत्तम । यद् ब्रूयां त्वां महाबाहो तत् कृथास्त्वमिहाच्युत
devakī suprajā devī tvayā puruṣasattama | yad brūyāṃ tvāṃ mahābāho tat kṛthās tvam ihācyuta ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Ô le meilleur des hommes ! Pour t’avoir pour fils, la déesse Devakī est véritablement tenue pour comblée d’une descendance excellente. Ô Acyuta aux bras puissants, ce que je vais te demander, accomplis-le ici.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights reverence for divine virtue and the idea that true ‘noble progeny’ is measured by dharmic excellence: Devakī is called suprajā because her son is Kṛṣṇa, the ideal of steadfastness and righteousness. It also models respectful petition—addressing a superior with honor and asking for action aligned with dharma.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events, praises Kṛṣṇa with epithets (Puruṣasattama, Mahābāhu, Acyuta) and prefaces a request: he signals that he is about to ask Kṛṣṇa to carry out something ‘here’ in the present situation, framing the request through honor and acknowledgment of Kṛṣṇa’s exceptional status.