Ashvamedhika Parva Adhyaya 85 Shloka 4 - Mahabharata | Portuguese | Vedapath

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Shloka 4

शकुनेः पुत्रेण सह आश्वमेधाश्वविषयः संघर्षः — Arjuna’s restrained engagement with Śakuni’s son during the horse-escort

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु द्वादशीं माघमासिकीम्‌ । इष्टं गृहीत्वा नक्षत्र धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर:

Transliteration

etasmīn eva kāle tu dvādaśīṁ māghamāsikīm | iṣṭaṁ gṛhītvā nakṣatraṁ dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ, kurunandana |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Naquele mesmo tempo, era o décimo segundo dia lunar (Dvādaśī) da quinzena clara do mês de Māgha. Tendo obtido a auspiciosa conjunção da constelação Puṣya, o rei Yudhiṣṭhira—governante justo e orgulho dos Kurus—assinalou o momento apropriado e preparou-se para agir de acordo com o dharma, escolhendo um tempo santificado por sinais celestes para o dever que tinha pela frente.

Word by Word

एतस्मिन्in this

एवindeed/just

कालेtime

तुbut/and

द्वादशीम्the twelfth lunar day (Dvādaśī)

माघमासिकीम्belonging to the month of Māgha

इष्टम्the desired/auspicious (thing); (here) chosen/appointed (time)

गृहीत्वाhaving taken/selected

नक्षत्रम्constellation; lunar mansion

धर्मराजःDharma-king (Yudhiṣṭhira)

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)

Kuru lineage (Kurunandana as address)

Māgha (month)

Dvādaśī (tithi)

Nakṣatra (asterism; implied auspicious one, traditionally Puṣya in the prose context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through attentiveness to right timing (kāla) and auspicious conditions (nakṣatra). Ethical action is not merely about intent but also about performing duties in a manner aligned with sacred order and communal norms.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana marks the time: the bright-fortnight Dvādaśī in Māgha, with a favorable nakṣatra. Yudhiṣṭhira recognizes this auspicious moment as he prepares for the next step in the unfolding events of the Ashvamedhika Parva.