Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तांक्षापि विजयो जित्वा नातितीव्रेण कर्मणा । तुरज़्मवशेनाथ सुराष्ट्रानभितो ययौ

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tāṃś cāpi Vijayo jitvā nātitīvreṇa karmaṇā | turagām avaśenātha Surāṣṭrān abhito yayau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Sau khi cũng khuất phục họ, Vijaya đã giành thắng lợi mà không dùng đến những biện pháp quá khắc nghiệt. Rồi, bị thúc đẩy bởi lộ trình lang thang của con ngựa tế, ông đi vòng quanh miền Surāṣṭra.

Word by Word

ताम्that (her/it)

क्षापिalso, even

विजयःVijaya (name)/victory

जित्वाhaving conquered

नnot

अतितीव्रेणby (means of) not excessively harsh

कर्मणाby action/deed

तुरग्मby the horse (ashvamedha-horse)

वशेनby control/under the influence

अथthen

सुराष्ट्रान्the Surashtra people/lands

अभितःaround, on all sides

ययौwent

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vijaya

turaga (Aśvamedha horse)

Surāṣṭra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Victory should be exercised with restraint: conquest is not an excuse for cruelty. The verse highlights dharmic kingship—subduing opposition without excessive harshness—and frames power as accountable to ethical conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

After subduing the concerned groups/regions, Vijaya continues the Ashvamedha progress by following the sacrificial horse’s wandering path, moving around Surāṣṭra as the horse leads, rather than choosing targets purely by ambition.