Shloka 5
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
कृष्णाजिनी दण्डपाणि: क्षौमवासा: स धर्मज: । विबभौ द्युतिमान् भूय: प्रजापतिरिवाध्वरे
kṛṣṇājinī daṇḍapāṇiḥ kṣaumavāsāḥ sa dharmajaḥ | vibabhau dyutimān bhūyaḥ prajāpatir ivādhvare ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Revêtu d’une peau d’antilope noire, tenant un bâton à la main et vêtu de fin lin, ce fils du Dharma—le roi Yudhiṣṭhira—resplendit d’un éclat renouvelé, apparaissant dans l’enceinte sacrificielle tel Prajāpati lui-même. La scène souligne comment la royauté légitime s’exprime par une retenue védique disciplinée et par l’ordonnancement éthique du pouvoir dans un rite consacré.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule is portrayed as grounded in dharma and self-restraint: the king’s radiance arises not from conquest alone but from disciplined participation in sanctifying rites that order power toward the welfare of beings.
During the Aśvamedha setting, Yudhiṣṭhira appears in the sacrificial arena wearing ritual/ascetic insignia (antelope-skin, staff, linen). The narrator likens his renewed splendor to Prajāpati, emphasizing his role as a dharmic sovereign presiding over a consecrated act.