Shloka 3
Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse
महतस्तस्य सैन्यस्य खुरनेमिस्वनेन ह
mahatas tasya sainyasya khura-nemi-svanena ha
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。まことに、あの広大なる軍勢の馬蹄の轟きと車輪の縁の響きは雷鳴のごとく、地そのものが鳴り渡るかに思われた――まさに、これより展開される王家の大事業の規模と勢いの甚大さを告げる徴であった。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how collective action backed by royal authority becomes palpable in the world: power is not merely declared but manifested through disciplined movement and organized force—an implicit reminder that rulers must wield such power responsibly within dharma.
The narrator describes the immense army in motion; the combined roar of horses’ hooves and chariot wheels conveys the scale of the expedition associated with the Aśvamedha setting in the Aśvamedhika Parva.