Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

महतस्तस्य सैन्यस्य खुरनेमिस्वनेन ह

Transliteration

mahatas tasya sainyasya khura-nemi-svanena ha

Translation

వైశంపాయనుడు పలికెను—ఆ మహాసేన యొక్క ఖురధ్వని, రథచక్రనేముల గర్జనతో భూమి నాదించెను; త్వరలో ఆరంభమగు రాజకార్యపు మహత్తు, వేగము సూచింపబడెను।

Word by Word

• महतः: of the great
• महतः: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• तस्य: of that (his/its)
• तस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सैन्यस्य: of the army
• सैन्यस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• खुरनेमिस्वनेन: by/with the sound of hooves and wheel-rims
• खुरनेमिस्वनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: खुरनेमिस्वन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• ह: indeed/for emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• army (sainya)
• hooves (khura)
• wheel-rims (nemi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how collective action backed by royal authority becomes palpable in the world: power is not merely declared but manifested through disciplined movement and organized force—an implicit reminder that rulers must wield such power responsibly within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes the immense army in motion; the combined roar of horses’ hooves and chariot wheels conveys the scale of the expedition associated with the Aśvamedha setting in the Aśvamedhika Parva.