Shloka 20
अश्वमेधीयस्य हयस्य दक्षिणापश्चिमगमनम् — The Sacrificial Horse’s Southern and Western Circuit
सा न्यवारयदव्यग्रं त॑ पुत्र युद्धदुर्मदम् । प्रसादयामास च तं जिष्णुमक्लिष्टकारिणम्
sā nyavārayad avyagraṁ taṁ putraṁ yuddha-durmadam | prasādayāmāsa ca taṁ jiṣṇum akliṣṭa-kāriṇam ||
Elle retint son fils—l’esprit calme, mais enivré de l’orgueil du combat—et l’empêcha de se ruer dans la bataille. Puis, par des paroles douces et agréables, elle apaisa et se concilia Arjuna, le toujours victorieux, l’infatigable artisan des grandes œuvres.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that dharma in a war-context includes restraint and de-escalation: true strength is not only martial valor but also the capacity to be checked by wise counsel and to choose peaceable persuasion over impulsive violence.
A woman (implicitly a mother) stops her son—who is battle-proud—from engaging in combat, and she simultaneously pacifies Arjuna (called Jiṣṇu), bringing him to a calm, agreeable state through conciliatory speech.