Shloka 6
किमयं चार्यते वाजी स्त्रीमध्य इव भारत । हयमेनं हरिष्यामि प्रयतस्व विमोक्षणे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kim ayaṃ cāryate vājī strī-madhya iva bhārata | hayam enaṃ hariṣyāmi prayatasva vimokṣaṇe ||
“भरतनन्दन! यह घोड़ा इस प्रकार क्यों घुमाया जा रहा है, मानो स्त्रियों के बीच चल रहा हो? मैं इस अश्व का अपहरण करता हूँ; तुम इसे छुड़ाने का यत्न करो।”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic test of kingship: the Aśvamedha horse symbolizes sovereign authority, and any attempt to seize it demands a principled response—courage, readiness to defend rightful ritual order, and accountability through open challenge rather than covert harm.
During the Aśvamedha, a challenger taunts the escort by saying the horse is being led in a dishonorable, unmanly way—“as if among women”—and declares he will take it. He then calls on the addressed warrior to attempt its rescue, initiating a confrontation that tests strength and legitimacy.