Shloka 53
और्वोपाख्यानम्
Aurva Episode: Restoration of Sight and Restraint of World-Destructive Anger
क्षत्रवज़्स्य भागेन अवध्या वाजिन: स्मृता: । रथाजूं वडवा सूते शूराश्नाश्वेषु ये मता:,क्षत्रियके रथरूपी वज्रका एक विशिष्ट अंग होनेसे घोड़ोंको अवध्य बताया गया है। गन्धर्वदेशकी घोड़ी रथको वहन करनेवाले रथांगस्वरूप (वज्रस्वरूप) घोड़ेको जन्म देती है। वे घोड़े सब अश्वोंमें शूरवीर माने जाते हैं
gandharva uvāca |
kṣatravajrasya bhāgena avadhyā vājināḥ smṛtāḥ |
rathājyūṃ vaḍavā sūte śūrāśnāśveṣu ye matāḥ ||
Disse o Gandharva: “Porque participam do ‘kṣatra-vajra’—o poder, qual raio, da ordem guerreira—esses corcéis são lembrados como não devendo ser mortos. Uma égua da terra dos Gandharvas dá à luz um cavalo que é, por assim dizer, um membro do carro, apto a suportar o seu peso; e tais cavalos são tidos como os mais valentes entre todos os corcéis.”
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates certain war-steeds as ‘inviolable’ by linking them to kṣatra-vajra—an image of adamantine, royal-warrior potency. Ethically, it frames the chariot-horse not as a mere animal but as an essential instrument of righteous martial order, worthy of special protection and honor.
A Gandharva describes a special lineage of horses: born from a Gandharva mare, they are fit to bear the chariot like a vital chariot-limb and are famed as the bravest among horses. The statement functions as a mythic explanation of why such steeds are regarded as not to be killed.