Shloka 33

Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse

Devanagari script

द्यावापृथिव्यो: खं चैव सर्वमासीत्‌ समावृतम्‌ । उस विशाल सेनाके घोड़ोंकी टापों और रथके पहियोंकी घरघराहटके तुमुल घोषसे पृथ्वी और स्वर्गके बीचका सारा आकाश व्याप्त हो गया था

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

dyāvāpṛthivyoḥ khaṃ caiva sarvam āsīt samāvṛtam |

Translation

ವೈಶಂಪಾಯನನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಆ ಮಹಾಸೈನ್ಯದ ಕುದುರೆಗಳ ಟಾಪುಗಳ ಗರ್ಜನೆ ಮತ್ತು ರಥಚಕ್ರಗಳ ಗರಗರ ಧ್ವನಿಯಿಂದ ಎದ್ದ ಭೀಕರ ನಾದವು ಭೂಮಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ವರ್ಗದ ಮಧ್ಯದ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಆಕಾಶವನ್ನೇ ಆವರಿಸಿದಂತೆ ತೋರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

Word by Word

द्यावाheaven (as one of the two: heaven and earth)

पृथिव्योःof heaven and earth / between heaven and earth

खम्sky, space

चand

एवindeed, just

सर्वम्all, entire

आसीत्was

समावृतम्covered, enveloped

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

heaven (dyauḥ)

earth (pṛthivī)

sky/space (kha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how immense collective force can metaphorically blanket the world; it implicitly calls for such power—especially royal and military power—to be restrained and directed by dharma rather than allowed to become uncontrolled tumult.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes the overwhelming sound and presence of a huge army in motion—horses and chariots—so vast that the space between earth and heaven seems filled and covered by its uproar.