Shloka 3
प्राग्ज्योतिषे वज्रदत्त-धनंजय-समागमः
Vajradatta Confronts Dhanaṃjaya at Prāgjyotiṣa
रथिनो बद्धतूणीरा: सदश्वैः समलंकृतै: । परिवार्य हयं राजन ग्रहीतुं सम्प्रचक्रमु:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca — rathino baddhatūṇīrāḥ sadaśvaiḥ samalaṅkṛtaiḥ | parivārya hayaṃ rājan grahītuṃ sampracakramuḥ ||
ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ນັກຮົບລົດມ້າທັງຫຼາຍ ຜູ້ຜູກກະຕ່າລູກທະນູໄວ້ທີ່ຫຼັງ ແລະຂັບລົດທີ່ປະດັບງາມ ທີ່ຜູກດ້ວຍມ້າຊັ້ນດີ, ໄດ້ລ້ອມມ້າບູຊານັ້ນໄວ້. ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ເມື່ອລ້ອມແລ້ວ ພວກເຂົາກໍເລີ່ມພະຍາຍາມຈັບມັນ—ການກະທໍານີ້ເປັນສັນຍານແຫ່ງການທ້າທາຍຕໍ່ອັສວະເມດະຂອງພວກປານດະວະ ແລະເປັນການທົດສອບຂອບເຂດແຫ່ງສິດແລະໜ້າທີ່ຂອງກະສັດ.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ritual sovereignty (the Aśvamedha horse’s free passage) becomes a moral and political test: to restrain or seize the horse is to contest the sacrificer’s authority, raising questions of rightful power, duty of neighboring rulers, and the dharmic limits of resistance.
Armed chariot-warriors, fully equipped with quivers and fine horses, surround the consecrated sacrificial horse and begin trying to capture it—an overt challenge that typically provokes confrontation with the sacrificer’s protectors.