Shloka 2
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
स हयं पाण्डुपुत्रस्य विषयान्तमुपागतम् । युयुधे भरतश्रेष्ठ वज्जदत्तो महीपति:
sa hayaṁ pāṇḍuputrasya viṣayāntam upāgatam | yuyudhe bharataśreṣṭha vajradatto mahīpatiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi bậc ưu tú của dòng Bharata, khi con ngựa tế lễ của con trai Pāṇḍu đến ranh giới lãnh thổ của mình, vua Vajradatta đã giao chiến.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic tension between imperial ritual authority (the Aśvamedha horse roaming as a sign of overlordship) and a local king’s duty to defend his realm’s borders; conflict arises when sovereignty is tested at the frontier.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha, the sacrificial horse enters the boundary of Vajradatta’s territory, and Vajradatta, as king, prepares to oppose it—initiating a battle episode connected to the horse’s passage.