Shloka 1
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
ऑपन-- मा बक। अकाल पञ्चसप्ततितमो< ध्याय: अर्जुनका प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरके राजा वज्रदत्तके साथ युद्ध वैशम्पायन उवाच प्राग्ज्योतिषमथाभ्येत्य व्यचरत् स हयोत्तम: । भगदत्तात्मजस्तत्र निर्ययौ रणकर्कश:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | prāgjyotiṣam athābhyetya vyacarat sa hayottamaḥ | bhagadattātmajas tatra niryayau raṇakarkaśaḥ ||
毗湿摩耶那说道：“噢，阇那美阇耶，随后，那匹上等的祭马来到普罗阇约提沙，便在彼土游行。其地由薄伽达多之子金刚达多（Vajradatta）统治，此人临阵刚烈无情；他遂出城迎对，备战而来。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key Aśvamedha principle: the roaming sacrificial horse becomes a test of political legitimacy and kṣatriya-dharma. A ruler who encounters it must either acknowledge the sacrificer’s sovereignty or defend his own claim through battle—linking ritual authority with ethical duties of kingship.
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha horse reaches the region of Prāgjyotiṣa. The local ruler, Vajrādattā—son of Bhagadatta—comes out, described as fierce in war, signaling an impending confrontation over the horse’s passage.