Shloka 17
Aśvamedha-saṃbhāra: Return of the Horse, Auspicious Timing, and Construction of the Yajña Enclosure
कर्तुमहति तद् राजा भवांश्वाप्पनुमन्यताम् । राजद्वेषान्न नश्येयुरिमा राजन् पुनः प्रजा:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kartum arhati tad rājā bhavān svāpy anumanyatām | rājadveṣān na naśyeyur imā rājan punaḥ prajāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dit : « Le roi (Yudhiṣṭhira) doit en effet agir ainsi. Toi aussi, donne-lui ton assentiment et instruis-le de la sorte : “Ô roi, que ces sujets ne soient pas détruits de nouveau à cause de la haine réciproque des rois.” »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rulership must prioritize the protection of the people: political decisions should be guided by consent, restraint, and the prevention of renewed violence arising from inter-kingly enmity.
The narrator reports counsel that Yudhiṣṭhira should proceed with a proposed course of action, and that Śrī Kṛṣṇa should endorse it, so that the populace will not suffer another catastrophe caused by rival kings’ hatred.