Shloka 5
Traigarta Attempt to Seize the Aśvamedha Horse; Arjuna’s Restraint and Tactical Victory
कृष्णाजिनी दण्डपाणि: क्षौमवासा: स धर्मज: । विबभौ द्युतिमान् भूय: प्रजापतिरिवाध्वरे
kṛṣṇājinī daṇḍapāṇiḥ kṣaumavāsāḥ sa dharmajaḥ | vibabhau dyutimān bhūyaḥ prajāpatir ivādhvare ||
کالا ہرن کی کھال اوڑھے، ہاتھ میں ڈنڈ لیے اور کَشَوم (باریک کتان) کے کپڑے پہنے، دھرم پُتر راجا یُدھِشٹھِر پھر سے زیادہ درخشاں ہو کر یَجْیَ منڈپ میں پرجاپتی کی مانند شوبھا پانے لگا۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule is portrayed as grounded in dharma and self-restraint: the king’s radiance arises not from conquest alone but from disciplined participation in sanctifying rites that order power toward the welfare of beings.
During the Aśvamedha setting, Yudhiṣṭhira appears in the sacrificial arena wearing ritual/ascetic insignia (antelope-skin, staff, linen). The narrator likens his renewed splendor to Prajāpati, emphasizing his role as a dharmic sovereign presiding over a consecrated act.