Shloka 14
Aśvamedha-saṃbhāra: Return of the Horse, Auspicious Timing, and Construction of the Yajña Enclosure
इदमाह महाराज पार्थवाक्यं स्मरन् नर: । वाच्यो युधिष्िर: कृष्ण काले वाक्यमिदं मम
vaiśampāyana uvāca | idam āha mahārāja pārthavākyaṃ smaran naraḥ | vācyaḥ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ kṛṣṇa kāle vākyam idaṃ mama ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Maharaja, seorang lelaki datang kepadaku sambil mengingat kata-kata Pārtha (Arjuna), lalu berkata demikian: ‘Wahai Kṛṣṇa, pada saat yang tepat engkau harus menyampaikan pernyataanku ini kepada Raja Yudhiṣṭhira.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical communication: a message should be conveyed faithfully and at the right time (kāla). It also underscores accountability—Kṛṣṇa is entrusted to deliver words to a dharmic king, implying that counsel and reports must be accurate, timely, and responsibly transmitted.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a man approached him, recalling Arjuna’s words, and requested that Kṛṣṇa later relay the man’s statement to King Yudhiṣṭhira. The scene sets up a formal transmission of information or counsel within the royal-dharmic context of the Ashvamedhika Parva.