Shloka 4
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
तेडविदूराद् धनुष्पाणिं यज्ञियस्थ हयस्य च । बीभत्सुं प्रत्यपद्यन्त पदातिनमवस्थितम्,यज्ञसम्बन्धी घोड़ेसे थोड़ी ही दूरपर अर्जुन हाथमें धनुष लिये पैदल ही खड़े थे। वे सभी क्षत्रिय उनके पास जा पहुँचे
Te dūrād dhanur-pāṇiṁ yajñiyasya hayasya ca | Bībhatsuṁ pratyapadyanta padātinam avasthitam ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: Mula sa di-kalayuang layo, nakita nila si Arjuna—nakapanghihilakbot sa labanan—na nakatindig na naglalakad-lupa, may busog sa kamay, nakapuwesto malapit sa kabayong panghandog. Pagkaraan, lumapit sa kanya ang mga kṣatriya. Ipinapakita ng tagpong ito ang hanggahang moral ng Aśvamedha: ang kabayo ay sagisag-ritwal ng kapangyarihang panghari, at ang pagharap sa tagapagbantay nito’y pagsubok kung ang kapangyarihan ay hahanapin sa makatarungang hamon o sa padalus-dalos na pagsalakay laban sa ritong nakabalangkas sa dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma at the intersection of ritual and power: the Aśvamedha horse represents lawful sovereignty, and approaching its guardian is not mere violence but a test of whether one engages in a sanctioned, honor-bound challenge rather than disrupting a sacred rite.
A group of kṣatriyas see Arjuna nearby, standing on foot with his bow, positioned by the sacrificial horse, and they come up to him—setting the stage for a confrontation connected to the Aśvamedha’s roaming horse.