Shloka 9
Book 3, Āraṇyaka-parva — Adhyāya 19: Pradyumna’s Reproach of Withdrawal and the Ethics of Kṣātra Reputation
प्रतोदेनाहता राजन् रश्मिभिश्च समुद्यता: । उत्पतन्त इवाकाशे व्यचरंस्ते हयोत्तमा:,राजन! वे श्रेष्ठ घोड़े चाबुककी मार खाकर बागडोर हिलानेसे तीव्र गतिसे दौड़ने लगे, मानो आकाशमें उड़ रहे हों
pratodenāhatā rājan raśmibhiś ca samudyatāḥ | utpatanta ivākāśe vyacaraṃs te hayottamāḥ ||
Vāyu said: “O King, struck by the whip and urged on as the reins were shaken, those finest of horses surged forward at great speed, moving as though they were leaping up into the sky.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful forces respond to guidance and stimulus: disciplined control (reins) combined with decisive impetus (whip) produces swift action. In ethical terms, it suggests that energy and capability become effective when properly directed rather than left unchecked.
Vāyu addresses a king and describes a chariot team: the horses, struck with the whip and urged by the reins, accelerate so rapidly that they seem to be flying through the sky.