Shloka 19
Rājagṛhe Magadheśvarasya yuddhāhvānam — Arjunena saṃyamaḥ
The Rājagṛha Challenge and Arjuna’s Restraint
तस्मादपि स कौरव्य गन्धारविषयं हय: । विचचार यथाकामं कौन्तेयानुगतस्तदा,कुरुनन्दन! वहाँसे भी वह घोड़ा गान्धारदेशमें जाकर इच्छानुसार विचरने लगा। कुन्तीनन्दन अर्जुन भी उसके पीछे-पीछे वहीं जा पहुँचे
tasmād api sa kauravya gandhāraviṣayaṃ hayaḥ | vicacāra yathākāmaṃ kaunteyānugatas tadā ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Dari sana juga, wahai keturunan Kuru, kuda korban itu memasuki wilayah Gandhāra dan merayau sesuka hatinya. Pada waktu itu Arjuna, putera Kuntī, mengikuti rapat di belakang dan sampai ke negeri yang sama.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores royal dharma after the war: sovereignty is re-established not merely by force but through a sanctioned rite (Aśvamedha) in which the horse’s free roaming symbolizes lawful claim, while the king’s champion (Arjuna) upholds order by following and responding to challenges.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha, the consecrated horse moves onward into Gandhāra, wandering freely. Arjuna, assigned as its protector and enforcer of the rite’s authority, follows it into that region.