Shloka 253
विश्वावसुश्न ये चान्ये ते5प्युपासन्तु मे मखम् । “दिव्य अप्सराओंके समुदाय, गन्धर्व, किन्नर, विश्वावसु तथा जो अन्य प्रमुख गन्धर्व हैं, वे सब यहाँ आकर मेरे यज्ञकी उपासना करें
Viśvāvāsuś ca ye cānye te 'py upāsantu me makham.
Vaiśampāyana said: “Let Viśvāvāsu and all the other eminent Gandharvas as well come and attend upon my sacrificial rite.” In the narrative setting of the Aśvamedha, this is an invocation that gathers celestial beings as witnesses and participants, underscoring the rite’s public, cosmic legitimacy and the king’s responsibility to perform it in accordance with dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A major royal sacrifice is not merely personal piety but a dharmic public act: it seeks rightful order and legitimacy by inviting worthy witnesses—here, celestial Gandharvas—emphasizing that power must be exercised under ritual and moral accountability.
During the Aśvamedha context, an invitation is issued for Viśvāvāsu and other Gandharvas to come and participate in (or honor) the sacrifice, portraying the rite as an event of cosmic significance attended by divine beings.