Shloka 2
प्राग्ज्योतिषे वज्रदत्त-धनंजय-समागमः
Vajradatta Confronts Dhanaṃjaya at Prāgjyotiṣa
ते समाज्ञाय सम्प्राप्तं यज्ञियं तुरगोत्तमम् । विषयान्तं ततो वीरा दंशिता: पर्यवारयन्
te samājñāya samprāptaṃ yajñiyaṃ turagottamam | viṣayāntaṃ tato vīrā daṃśitāḥ paryavārayan ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Ao saberem que o excelente cavalo sacrificial havia alcançado a fronteira de seu território, os guerreiros—armados e plenamente equipados—cercaram-no por todos os lados. Tendo-o assim rodeado, puseram-se a tentar capturá-lo, desafiando o rito e a autoridade que ele proclamava.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A consecrated act like the Aśvamedha is not merely ritual; it asserts lawful sovereignty. To obstruct or seize the sacrificial horse is to contest that claim, turning a religious procession into a dharma-laden political and ethical confrontation.
The sacrificial horse reaches the border of another territory. Local warriors, fully armed, surround it and begin efforts to capture it—an action that signals resistance to the Aśvamedha and invites a challenge from the rite’s protectors.