Shloka 4
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
तेडविदूराद् धनुष्पाणिं यज्ञियस्थ हयस्य च । बीभत्सुं प्रत्यपद्यन्त पदातिनमवस्थितम्,यज्ञसम्बन्धी घोड़ेसे थोड़ी ही दूरपर अर्जुन हाथमें धनुष लिये पैदल ही खड़े थे। वे सभी क्षत्रिय उनके पास जा पहुँचे
Te dūrād dhanur-pāṇiṁ yajñiyasya hayasya ca | Bībhatsuṁ pratyapadyanta padātinam avasthitam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: From a short distance away they saw Arjuna—terrible in battle—standing on foot with bow in hand, stationed near the sacrificial horse. Those kṣatriyas then approached him. The scene underscores the Ashvamedha’s moral boundary: the horse is a ritual emblem of sovereignty, and confronting its guardian tests whether power will be pursued through rightful challenge or through reckless aggression against a dharma-framed rite.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma at the intersection of ritual and power: the Aśvamedha horse represents lawful sovereignty, and approaching its guardian is not mere violence but a test of whether one engages in a sanctioned, honor-bound challenge rather than disrupting a sacred rite.
A group of kṣatriyas see Arjuna nearby, standing on foot with his bow, positioned by the sacrificial horse, and they come up to him—setting the stage for a confrontation connected to the Aśvamedha’s roaming horse.