Shloka 9
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
उत्तिष्ठ कुरुमुख्यस्य प्रियमुख्य मम प्रिय । अयमश्वो महाबाहो मया ते परिमोक्षित:,“कुरुराजके प्रियतम और मेरे प्राणाधार! उठो। महाबाहो! मैंने तुम्हारा यह घोड़ा छुड़वा दिया है
uttistha kurumukhyasya priyamukhya mama priya | ayam aśvo mahābāho mayā te parimokṣitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Rise, dearest among the beloved of the foremost of the Kurus—my own beloved. O mighty-armed one, I have freed this horse for you.” The line conveys reassurance and loyal support: the speaker urges the fallen or despondent hero to stand up again, affirming that the crucial royal emblem of the Aśvamedha has been recovered, thereby restoring honor and the rightful course of duty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes steadfastness and the restoration of rightful duty: when a key symbol of royal dharma (the Aśvamedha horse) is recovered, one should rise from grief or defeat and resume one’s responsibilities with renewed honor.
A narrator reports a consoling address to a Kuru hero: he is urged to get up, and is told that the sacrificial/royal horse—central to the Aśvamedha rite—has been successfully freed and returned to his control.