Shloka 26

Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse

Devanagari script

विविशु: सहिता राजन्‌ पुरं वारणसाह्नयम्‌ । उन सब लोगोंने पाण्डवोंसे मिलनेके लिये आगे बढ़कर उनकी अगवानी की और सब यथायोग्य एक-दूसरेसे मिले। राजन! धर्मानुसार पाण्डव वृष्णियोंस मिलकर सब एक साथ हो हस्तिनापुरमें प्रविष्ट हुए

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | viviśuḥ sahitā rājan puraṃ vāraṇasāhvayam | satyaṃ te pratijānāmi sarva-kartāsmi te 'nagha | bhīmasenārjunau caiva tathā mādravatī-sutau | iṣṭavanto bhaviṣyanti tvayīṣṭavati pārthive |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô roi, ils entrèrent ensemble dans la cité appelée Vāraṇasāhvaya (Hastināpura). Je te fais un vœu de vérité, ô irréprochable : j’accomplirai tout ce que tu ordonneras. Lorsque toi, ô souverain, tu célébreras le sacrifice, Bhīmasena et Arjuna, ainsi que les fils de Mādrī (Nakula et Sahadeva), deviendront eux aussi participants au mérite du rite.»

Word by Word

• विविशुः: they entered
• विविशुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सहिताः: together, accompanied
• सहिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पुरम्: city
• पुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वारणसाह्वयम्: named ‘Vāraṇasa’ (i.e., having the name Vāraṇasa)
• वारणसाह्वयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारणसाह्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative, Singular

• प्रतिजानामि: I promise / I vow
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रतिज्ञा (धातु: प्रति + ज्ञा)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कर्तास्मि: I will do / I am the doer (i.e., I shall carry out)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + अस् (धातु)
• Form: कर्ता (कर्तृ-प्रातिपदिक, future agent noun) + अस्मि, 1, Singular, Present (लट्) of अस्

• ते: of you / your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• अनघ: O sinless one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भीमसेन: Bhīmasena
• भीमसेन: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अर्जुनौ: the two Arjunas / Arjuna (dual form as in text)
• अर्जुनौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्जुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

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

• एव: indeed, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तथा: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• माद्रवतीसुतौ: the two sons of Mādrī (Nakula and Sahadeva)
• माद्रवतीसुतौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: माद्रवती-सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इष्टवन्तः: having sacrificed / having performed (rites)
• इष्टवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष्टवत् (प्रातिपदिक; from √इष्/√यज sense ‘to sacrifice/perform’)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भविष्यन्ति: they will be / will become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 3, Plural, Parasmaipada

• त्वयि: in you / when you
• त्वयि: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Locative, Singular

• इष्टवति: when (you are) sacrificing / performing the rite
• इष्टवति: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष्टवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पार्थिवे: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Hastināpura (Vāraṇasāhvaya)
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Arjuna
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
• Mādrī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic kingship grounded in truth and commitment: a righteous vow binds the speaker to service, and sacrificial merit is not merely individual but can be shared among rightful participants—emphasizing solidarity and ethical distribution of religious fruits.

What is happening in the narrative?

The group enters Hastināpura together. A speaker (in context, addressing the king) makes a solemn promise to carry out whatever the king commands and assures that when the king performs the sacrifice, the other Pāṇḍava brothers—Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—will also partake of the sacrificial merit.