Shloka 28
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
यानि तूभयतो राजन प्रतप्तानि महान्ति च | तानि युद्धानि वक्ष्यामि कौन्तेयस्य तवानघ
yāni tūbhayato rājan prataptāni mahānti ca | tāni yuddhāni vakṣyāmi kaunteyasya tavānagha niṣpāpa nareśa ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô roi, ces batailles qui furent douloureuses pour les deux camps et véritablement grandes par leur ampleur—ces guerres mêmes d’Arjuna, ô seigneur des hommes sans faute—je vais à présent te les raconter.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war ethically through its human cost: the narrator highlights battles as “grievous to both sides,” reminding the listener that even ‘great’ wars are measured not only by victory but by the suffering they inflict.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses King Janamejaya and announces that he will now recount the major and most painful battles involving Arjuna, setting up a detailed narration of those conflicts.