Shloka 15
Aśvamedha-dīkṣā, Vyāsa’s horse-release, and Arjuna’s departure with Gāṇḍīva (आश्वमेधिक-दीक्षा तथा हय-उत्सर्गः)
जिष्णु: सहिष्णुर्धुष्णुश्न स एनं पालयिष्यति । शक्तः स हि महीं जेतुं निवातकवचान्तकः,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजेन्द्र! युधिष्ठिरके इस तरह पूछनेपर श्रीकृष्णद्वैपायन व्यासने कहा--'राजन्! अर्जुन सब धनुर्धारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ हैं। वे विजयमें उत्साह रखनेवाले, सहनशील और धीर्यवान् हैं; अतः वे ही इस घोड़ेकी रक्षा करेंगे। उन्होंने निवातकवचोंका नाश किया था। वे सम्पूर्ण भूमण्डलको जीतनेकी शक्ति रखते हैं
jiṣṇuḥ sahiṣṇur dhuṣṇuś ca sa enaṃ pālayiṣyati | śaktaḥ sa hi mahīṃ jetuṃ nivātakavacāntakaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That Jishnu—enduring, steadfast, and resolute—will protect this (horse). For he is indeed capable of conquering the earth, being the slayer of the Nivātakavacas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic fitness for responsibility: the one entrusted with safeguarding a royal-sacrificial mission should possess proven valor, endurance, and steadiness. Past righteous victories (like defeating the Nivātakavacas) serve as ethical credentials for present duty.
In the context of the Aśvamedha, the speaker identifies Arjuna as the proper guardian of the sacrificial horse, emphasizing his qualities and his earlier feat of destroying the Nivātakavacas, thereby affirming his capacity to face any challengers during the horse’s roaming.