Shloka 10
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
तेषामन्योन्यसम्मर्दादूष्मेपत समजायत । दिदृक्षूणां हयं तं च तं चैव हयसारिणम्
teṣām anyonya-sammardād ūṣmepata samajāyata | didṛkṣūṇāṁ hayaṁ taṁ ca taṁ caiva haya-sāriṇam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : À force de se bousculer les uns les autres, la sueur perla sur leurs corps. Tant la foule était immense, désireuse de voir ce cheval du sacrifice et aussi le cavalier qui le suivait.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the magnetic public force of royal ritual: the Aśvamedha is not merely a private sacrifice but a social event that gathers people in overwhelming numbers, reflecting how kingship and dharma are publicly witnessed and affirmed.
People crowd together to see the sacrificial horse and the one accompanying it; the press of bodies becomes so intense that perspiration breaks out from the jostling.