Shloka 20
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
पाण्डवै: पृथिवीम श्वो निर्जितामस्त्रतेजसा । चचार स महाराज यथादेशं च सत्तम,महाराज! साधुशिरोमणे! पाण्डवोंने अपने अस्त्रके प्रतापसे जिस पृथ्वीको जीता था, उसके सभी देशोंमें वह अश्व क्रमश: विचरण करने लगा
pāṇḍavaiḥ pṛthivīm aśvo nirjitām astratejasā | cacāra sa mahārāja yathādeśaṃ ca sattama ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Ô le meilleur des rois, le cheval sacrificiel se mit alors à parcourir, comme il en avait été ordonné, toutes les régions de la terre que les Pāṇḍava avaient conquises par l’éclat et la puissance de leurs armes.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames political power within ritual and order: conquest achieved through martial prowess is now stabilized and legitimized through the Aśvamedha, where the horse’s sanctioned wandering symbolizes acknowledged sovereignty and the transition from war to regulated rule.
During the Aśvamedha, the consecrated horse is released to wander. It moves through the lands previously subdued by the Pāṇḍavas, following the prescribed course, thereby testing and publicly affirming their imperial authority.