Shloka 18

अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha

Completion of the Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

तेषां विवाद: सुमहान्‌ शक्रयज्ञे तपस्विनाम्‌

Transliteration

teṣāṃ vivādaḥ sumahān śakrayajñe tapasvinām

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Parmi ces ascètes, une très grande querelle s’éleva lors du sacrifice de Śakra (Indra) —preuve que même les savants et les maîtres d’eux-mêmes peuvent être entraînés dans la discorde lorsque sont en cause la préséance rituelle, le mérite et la conduite juste.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• विवादः: dispute, controversy
• विवादः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुमहान्: very great
• सुमहान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शक्रयज्ञे: in the Śakra-sacrifice (Indra’s sacrifice)
• शक्रयज्ञे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्रयज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तपस्विनाम्: of the ascetics
• तपस्विनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Śakra (Indra)
• tapasvins (ascetics)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical caution: spiritual attainment and ritual expertise do not automatically prevent conflict. Dharma requires humility and restraint, especially in contexts—like sacrifice and public religious acts—where status, precedence, and claims of merit can provoke rivalry.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator reports that a major dispute breaks out among a group of ascetics during an Indra-related sacrificial occasion. This sets the stage for the ensuing account explaining the cause of their contention and its implications for right conduct.