Shloka 18

Rājagṛhe Magadheśvarasya yuddhāhvānam — Arjunena saṃyamaḥ

The Rājagṛha Challenge and Arjuna’s Restraint

Devanagari script

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Transliteration

sa nītas tataḥ sa paścima-deśaṃ samudrasya tadā hayaḥ | krameṇa vyacarat sphītaṃ tataḥ pañcanadaṃ yayau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian kuda korban Aśvamedha itu, demikian dipandu, merayau melalui negeri-negeri barat di sepanjang pesisir laut. Selangkah demi selangkah menurut tertibnya, ia mengembara merentas wilayah yang makmur, lalu sampai ke negeri Pañcanada yang kaya—tanda bahawa Aśvamedha berlangsung teratur tanpa halangan, dan kedaulatan raja berkembang di bawah naungan dharma.

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he/that (referring to the horse)', 'nītaḥ': 'led, guided, conducted', 'tataḥ': 'then

• thereafter', 'paścima-deśam': 'the western country/region (accusative singular)', 'samudrasya': 'of the ocean/sea (genitive singular)', 'tadā': 'at that time', 'hayaḥ': 'horse (especially a noble/ritual horse)', 'krameṇa': 'in sequence

• step by step', 'vyacarat': 'wandered, roamed, moved about', 'sphītam': 'prosperous, flourishing, abundant', 'pañcanadam': 'Pañcanada, the land of the five rivers', 'yayau': 'went, proceeded, reached'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Aśvamedha horse (hayaḥ)
• Western lands (paścima-deśa)
• Ocean/sea (samudra)
• Pañcanada (land of five rivers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores orderly, legitimate expansion under dharma: the sacrificial horse moves unhindered through regions, implying recognized authority and the ethical ideal that royal power should proceed in a regulated, ritually sanctioned manner rather than by arbitrary force.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Aśvamedha horse, being led onward, roams the western coastal regions by the sea and then, progressing gradually, arrives in the prosperous Pañcanada country—marking the continuing course of the sacrifice’s ceremonial journey.