Shloka 96
Aśvamedha-dīkṣā, Vyāsa’s horse-release, and Arjuna’s departure with Gāṇḍīva (आश्वमेधिक-दीक्षा तथा हय-उत्सर्गः)
यथाकालं यथायोगं सज्जा: सम तव दीक्षणे । तब महातेजस्वी व्यासने धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिससे कहा--'राजन्! हमलोग यथासमय उत्तम योग आनेपर तुम्हें दीक्षा देनेको तैयार हैं
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: yathākālaṃ yathāyogaṃ sajjāḥ sma tava dīkṣaṇe. tataḥ mahātejāḥ Vyāsaḥ Dharmaputraṃ rājānaṃ Yudhiṣṭhiram uvāca—“rājan, vayam yathāsamayaṃ yogyam āgate tvāṃ dīkṣayituṃ sajjāḥ sma.”
Vaiśampāyana said: “At the proper time and in the proper manner, we are prepared for your consecration.” Then the great-splendored Vyāsa addressed King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma: “O King, when the auspicious and fitting moment arrives, we stand ready to initiate you.” The passage underscores that sacred rites must be undertaken with due timing, correct procedure, and disciplined readiness—an ethical insistence on order (dharma) even in royal action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
That dharmic action—especially sacred and royal rites—must be performed with correct timing (yathākālam) and correct procedure/fitness (yathāyogam). Readiness is not mere eagerness; it is disciplined alignment with rule, auspiciousness, and proper method.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the officiants are ready to conduct the king’s dīkṣā. Vyāsa then directly tells King Yudhiṣṭhira that they will initiate him when the proper and fitting moment arrives, signaling the formal preparation for a major sacrificial undertaking.