Shloka 11

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

Devanagari script

आजगाम महातेजा नगरं नागसाह्दयम्‌ | तस्य सर्वे यथान्यायं पूजांचक्रुः कुरूद्वहा:

Transliteration

ājagāma mahātejā nagaraṃ nāgasāhvayam | tasya sarve yathānyāyaṃ pūjāṃ cakruḥ kurūdvahāḥ |

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: ਕੁਝ ਦਿਨਾਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਮਹਾਤੇਜਸਵੀ ਰਿਸ਼ੀ ਨਾਗਸਾਹ੍ਵਯ (ਹਸਤਿਨਾਪੁਰ) ਨਗਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਏ। ਉੱਥੇ ਕੁਰੂਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼੍ਰੇਸ਼ਠ ਸਭ ਨੇ ਨਿਆਂ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ, ਧਰਮ-ਰੀਤ ਮੁਤਾਬਕ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਪੂਜਾ ਕੀਤੀ।

Word by Word

• आजगाम: came, arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (गच्छति)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• महातेजाः: the very radiant one
• महातेजाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महातेजस्
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नगरम्: city
• नगरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर
• Form: नपुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• नागसाह्वयम्: called ‘Nāga’ (i.e., named Nāgasāhvaya)
• नागसाह्वयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नागसाह्वय
• Form: नपुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: पुं, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• यथा: as, according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• न्यायम्: rule, propriety
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्याय
• Form: पुं, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पूजाम्: honour, worship
• पूजाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चक्रुः: did, performed
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (करोति)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• कुरूद्वहाः: best of the Kurus (Kuru-bearers; the Pandavas)
• कुरूद्वहाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरूद्वह
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Vyāsa (implied by context: Satyavatī-nandana)
• Hastināpura (Nāgasāhvaya)
• Pāṇḍavas (implied by context: 'all the foremost of the Kurus')

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic etiquette: rulers and householders should honor realized sages properly (yathā-nyāya), showing humility, gratitude, and adherence to established righteous custom.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a short interval, the great sage (understood as Vyāsa) arrives in Hastināpura, and the leading Kuru princes (the Pāṇḍavas) formally receive and worshipfully honor him according to proper protocol.