Shloka 17

Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat

Devanagari script

ततो<भ्येत्य हयं वीरो यज्ञियं पार्थरक्षितम्‌ ग्राहयामास पुरुषैर्ठयशिक्षाविशारदै:,पार्थद्वारा सुरक्षित उस यज्ञसम्बन्धी अश्वके पास जाकर उस वीरने अश्वशिक्षाविशारद पुरुषोंद्वारा उसे पकड़वा लिया

Transliteration

tato 'bhyetya hayaṃ vīro yajñiyaṃ pārtharakṣitam | grāhayāmāsa puruṣair aśvaśikṣāviśāradaiḥ ||

Translation

Rồi vị dũng sĩ tiến đến con ngựa tế lễ, vốn đang được Arjuna canh giữ, và sai những người tinh thông việc thuần dưỡng, điều khiển ngựa bắt giữ nó—một hành động báo hiệu sự thách thức trực diện đối với uy quyền và tính thiêng liêng của nghi lễ Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from there/then')

• अभ्येत्य: having approached
• अभ्येत्य: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-इ (धातु: इ)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय), 'having approached'

• हयम्: the horse
• हयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वीरः: the hero/warrior
• वीरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यज्ञियम्: sacrificial, pertaining to the sacrifice
• यज्ञियम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञिय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (agreeing with हयम्)

• पार्थरक्षितम्: protected by Partha (Arjuna)
• पार्थरक्षितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पार्थ-रक्षित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (agreeing with हयम्); past passive participle रक्षित (from √रक्ष) with agent in compound

• ग्राहयामास: caused (it) to be seized / had (it) caught
• ग्राहयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (causative: ग्राहय)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular; causative sense

• पुरुषैः: by men
• पुरुषैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• हयशिक्षाविशारदैः: skilled in training horses
• हयशिक्षाविशारदैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हय-शिक्षा-विशारद
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural (agreeing with पुरुषैः)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• yajñiya haya (sacrificial horse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between royal ritual authority (the Aśvamedha horse as a symbol of sovereignty) and acts that contest it. Seizing the sacrificial horse is not merely physical capture; it is a deliberate challenge to the rite’s legitimacy and the king’s dharmic claim to rule, inviting a response that tests restraint, justice, and rightful conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

A valiant figure comes up to the Aśvamedha horse that is under Arjuna’s protection and orders expert horse-handlers to seize it. This escalates the episode into a confrontation centered on the sacrificial horse, a key emblem of the ongoing royal rite.