Shloka 11

अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha

Completion of the Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

आलम्भसमये तस्मिन्‌ गृहीतेषु पशुष्वथ । महर्षयो महाराज बभूवु: कृपयान्विता:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

ālambhasamaye tasmin gṛhīteṣu paśuṣv atha |

maharṣayo mahārāja babhūvuḥ kṛpayānvitāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Khi ấy, hỡi đại vương, lúc nghi thức hiến tế loài vật đã đến và các con vật bị bắt giữ, các bậc đại hiền triết liền tràn đầy lòng thương xót.”

Word by Word

• आलम्भसमये: at the time of the animal-immolation
• आलम्भसमये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आलम्भ-समय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तस्मिन्: at that (time)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• गृहीतेषु: when (they were) seized/caught
• गृहीतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Locative, Plural

• पशुषु: among the animals
• पशुषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• महर्षयः: great sages
• महर्षयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• बभूवुः: became / were
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कृपया: with compassion
• कृपया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृपा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• अन्विताः: endowed (with)
• अन्विताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त) used adjectivally, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Mahārāja (the king being addressed)
• Maharṣis (great seers)
• Paśu (sacrificial animals)
• Ālambha (animal-offering rite)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when an act is ritually authorized, the wise do not become numb to suffering; compassion (kṛpā) remains a measure for interpreting and applying dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

During a grand sacrifice, the ritual reaches the stage where animals are seized for the offering; seeing this, the assembled great seers are moved to compassion.