Shloka 22
Aśvamedha-dīkṣā, Vyāsa’s horse-release, and Arjuna’s departure with Gāṇḍīva (आश्वमेधिक-दीक्षा तथा हय-उत्सर्गः)
युधिछिर उवाच एहरार्जुन त्वया वीर हयो5यं परिपाल्यताम् | त्वमहों रक्षितुं होनं नान््य: कश्चनन मानव:,युधिष्ठिर बोले--वीर अर्जुन! यहाँ आओ, तुम इस घोड़ेकी रक्षा करो; क्योंकि तुम्हीं इसकी रक्षा करनेके योग्य हो। दूसरा कोई मनुष्य इसके योग्य नहीं है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ehy arjuna tvayā vīra hayo 'yaṃ paripālyatām | tvam evaṃ rakṣituṃ śakto nānyaḥ kaścana mānavaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Come here, heroic Arjuna. Let this horse be guarded by you. You alone are fit and capable to protect it; no other man is equal to this charge.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler assigns responsibility according to proven capacity and dharma: safeguarding a sacred royal undertaking (the Aśvamedha horse) must be entrusted to the most competent and steadfast protector, emphasizing discernment, accountability, and the ethical weight of delegated duty.
During the Aśvamedha enterprise, Yudhiṣṭhira instructs Arjuna to come and personally guard the sacrificial horse, declaring that Arjuna alone is capable of protecting it, thereby formally placing the success and security of the rite in Arjuna’s hands.