Shloka 17
Aśvamedha-saṃbhāra: Return of the Horse, Auspicious Timing, and Construction of the Yajña Enclosure
कर्तुमहति तद् राजा भवांश्वाप्पनुमन्यताम् । राजद्वेषान्न नश्येयुरिमा राजन् पुनः प्रजा:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kartum arhati tad rājā bhavān svāpy anumanyatām | rājadveṣān na naśyeyur imā rājan punaḥ prajāḥ |
“Wahai Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Raja Yudhiṣṭhira patut melakukan hal itu. Engkau pun hendaknya menyetujuinya dan menasihatinya demikian: ‘Wahai Raja, jangan sampai rakyat ini binasa lagi karena kebencian di antara para raja.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rulership must prioritize the protection of the people: political decisions should be guided by consent, restraint, and the prevention of renewed violence arising from inter-kingly enmity.
The narrator reports counsel that Yudhiṣṭhira should proceed with a proposed course of action, and that Śrī Kṛṣṇa should endorse it, so that the populace will not suffer another catastrophe caused by rival kings’ hatred.