Shloka 9
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
हूयमाने तथा वह्लौ होत्रे गुणसमन्विते । देवेष्वाहयमानेषु स्थितेषु परमर्षिषु
hūyamāne tathā vahlau hotre guṇasamanvite | deveṣv āhayamāneṣu sthiteṣu paramarṣiṣu, rājan |
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai raja, ketika Hotṛ yang mahir mempersembahkan oblation ke dalam api yang menyala, sementara para dewa dipanggil dan para resi agung berdiri hadir, yajña berlangsung dengan khidmat menurut tata-aturan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ideal order of Vedic sacrifice—proper oblations, correct priestly function, and the presence of seers and gods—while implicitly preparing for an ethical question: when ritual action approaches harm (as in animal binding), compassion and moral reflection arise even within a dharmic framework.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a grand sacrifice in progress: offerings are poured into the fire by the Hotṛ, the gods are invoked, and great ṛṣis stand by as witnesses. The broader passage (as reflected in the accompanying prose) moves toward the moment when animals are seized for the rite, prompting pity among the sages.