Shloka 143
Rājagṛhe Magadheśvarasya yuddhāhvānam — Arjunena saṃyamaḥ
The Rājagṛha Challenge and Arjuna’s Restraint
प्रययुस्तांस्तदा राजन्नुग्रसेनो न्यवारयत् | राजन! वहाँ यदुवंशी वीरोंके बालकोंने उस उत्तम अश्वको बलपूर्वक पकड़कर युद्धके लिये उद्योग किया; परंतु महाराज उग्रसेनने उन्हें रोक दिया
prayayus tāṁs tadā rājan ugrasenō nyavārayat |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika mereka hendak berangkat, Ugrasena menahan mereka. Sebab putra-putra muda para pahlawan Yadu telah merebut kuda kurban yang unggul itu dengan paksa dan bersiap untuk berperang; namun Raja Ugrasena mengekang dorongan mereka, mencegah pertikaian yang gegabah.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal and ethical restraint: even when young warriors are eager to assert strength, an elder-king must curb impulsive violence, protecting dharma by preventing needless escalation around a sacred rite (the Aśvamedha).
The youths of the Yadu clan forcibly seize the sacrificial horse and ready themselves for combat, but Ugrasena intervenes and stops them as they are about to proceed, averting an immediate outbreak of fighting.