Shloka 5

Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse

Devanagari script

ते समेत्य यथान्यायं धृतराष्ट्र जनाधिपम्‌

Transliteration

te sametya yathānyāyaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ janādhipam

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：众人依礼会集，遂以合乎仪则之法趋近持国王（Dhṛtarāṣṭra），万民之主——对这位年长的君王尽守礼节与正当之行。

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• समेत्य: having come together / having met
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-इ (गम्-अर्थे)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• यथा: as / according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अन्यायम्: injustice / improper conduct
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्याय
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धृतराष्ट्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (proper name)
• Root: धृतराष्ट्र
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• जनाधिपम्: the lord of people / king
• जनाधिपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनाधिप
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma as proper conduct: even amid political change and post-war tensions, one should approach elders and rulers with due respect and according to established norms (yathā-nyāyam).

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator states that a group (contextually, leading figures present in the episode) gathers and then goes to meet Dhṛtarāṣṭra, approaching him formally and respectfully as befits a sovereign and elder.