Shloka 13
Aśvamedha-saṃbhāra: Return of the Horse, Auspicious Timing, and Construction of the Yajña Enclosure
इत्युक्तो धर्मराजेन वृष्ण्यन्धकपतिस्तदा । प्रोवाचेदं वचो वाग्मी धर्मात्मानं युधिषछ्ठिरम्
ity ukto dharmarājena vṛṣṇy-andhaka-patis tadā | provācedaṃ vaco vāgmī dharmātmānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram ||
Ketika Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) bertanya demikian, sang penguasa kaum Vṛṣṇi dan Andhaka—Śrī Kṛṣṇa yang fasih bertutur—lalu menyampaikan kata-kata ini kepada Yudhiṣṭhira yang berhati dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse itself functions as a narrative hinge: it emphasizes that Kṛṣṇa’s forthcoming reply is prompted by a dharma-centered question from Yudhiṣṭhira, framing the instruction as authoritative ethical guidance for righteous living and rule.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that, after Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) addresses him, Kṛṣṇa—described as the eloquent leader of the Vṛṣṇi-Andhaka clans—begins to speak to Yudhiṣṭhira, introducing the next section of counsel.