Shloka 2
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
कृत्वा स पशुबन्धांश्व दीक्षित: पाण्डुनन्दन: । धर्मराजो महातेजा: सहर्व्विम्भिव्यरोचत,पशुबन्ध-कर्म करके यज्ञकी दीक्षा लिये हुए महातेजस्वी पाण्डुनन्दन धर्मराज युधिष्छिर ऋत्विजोंके साथ बड़ी शोभा पाने लगे
kṛtvā sa paśubandhān aśvān dīkṣitaḥ pāṇḍunandanaḥ | dharmarājo mahātejāḥ sahartvijbhir vyarocat ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Après avoir accompli les rites prescrits d’attache des animaux sacrificiels et après avoir pris le vœu de consécration pour l’office, le fils de Pāṇḍu—le roi Dharmarāja, rayonnant d’un éclat immense—resplendit au milieu des prêtres officiants. La scène marque un retour au dharma par le sacrifice réglé et la discipline royale après les bouleversements de la guerre.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed through disciplined, rule-bound action: the king’s consecration (dīkṣā) and performance of prescribed rites symbolize ethical self-restraint and the re-establishment of righteous order through legitimate Vedic procedure.
Yudhiṣṭhira has undertaken the consecration for the Aśvamedha and completed the ritual step of arranging/binding the sacrificial animals; surrounded by the officiating priests, he appears radiant, marking the formal commencement and public visibility of the sacrifice.