Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 11

अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha

Completion of the Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

आलम्भसमये तस्मिन्‌ गृहीतेषु पशुष्वथ । महर्षयो महाराज बभूवु: कृपयान्विता:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

ālambhasamaye tasmin gṛhīteṣu paśuṣv atha |

maharṣayo mahārāja babhūvuḥ kṛpayānvitāḥ ||

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਹੇ ਮਹਾਰਾਜ, ਜਦੋਂ ਆਲੰਭ (ਪਸ਼ੂ-ਬੰਨ੍ਹਣ/ਪਸ਼ੂ-ਆਹੁਤੀ) ਦਾ ਸਮਾਂ ਆਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਪਸ਼ੂ ਫੜੇ ਗਏ, ਤਦ ਮਹਰਿਸ਼ੀ ਕਰੁਣਾ ਨਾਲ ਭਰ ਗਏ।

Word by Word

• आलम्भसमये: at the time of the animal-immolation
• आलम्भसमये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आलम्भ-समय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तस्मिन्: at that (time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• गृहीतेषु: when (they were) seized/caught
• गृहीतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Locative, Plural

• पशुषु: among the animals
• पशुषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• महर्षयः: great sages
• महर्षयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• बभूवुः: became / were
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कृपया: with compassion
• कृपया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• अन्विताः: endowed (with)
• अन्विताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त) used adjectivally, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Mahārāja (the king being addressed)
• Maharṣis (great seers)
• Paśu (sacrificial animals)
• Ālambha (animal-offering rite)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when an act is ritually authorized, the wise do not become numb to suffering; compassion (kṛpā) remains a measure for interpreting and applying dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

During a grand sacrifice, the ritual reaches the stage where animals are seized for the offering; seeing this, the assembled great seers are moved to compassion.