Shloka 17
Aśvamedha-saṃbhāra: Return of the Horse, Auspicious Timing, and Construction of the Yajña Enclosure
कर्तुमहति तद् राजा भवांश्वाप्पनुमन्यताम् । राजद्वेषान्न नश्येयुरिमा राजन् पुनः प्रजा:,“श्रीकृष्ण! राजा युधिष्ठिरको ऐसा ही करना चाहिये। आप भी उन्हें ऐसी ही अनुमति दें और बतावें कि 'राजन्! राजाओंके पारस्परिक द्वेषसे पुनः इन सारी प्रजाओंका विनाश न होने पावे”
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kartum arhati tad rājā bhavān svāpy anumanyatām | rājadveṣān na naśyeyur imā rājan punaḥ prajāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Raja (Yudhiṣṭhira) memang patut berbuat demikian. Tuanku juga hendaklah memberi perkenan dan menasihatinya begini: ‘Wahai Raja, jangan biarkan rakyat ini binasa lagi kerana kebencian sesama raja.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rulership must prioritize the protection of the people: political decisions should be guided by consent, restraint, and the prevention of renewed violence arising from inter-kingly enmity.
The narrator reports counsel that Yudhiṣṭhira should proceed with a proposed course of action, and that Śrī Kṛṣṇa should endorse it, so that the populace will not suffer another catastrophe caused by rival kings’ hatred.