Shloka 18

Rājagṛhe Magadheśvarasya yuddhāhvānam — Arjunena saṃyamaḥ

The Rājagṛha Challenge and Arjuna’s Restraint

Devanagari script

।/ ९०७)... 2 5 हे हे

Transliteration

sa nītas tataḥ sa paścima-deśaṃ samudrasya tadā hayaḥ | krameṇa vyacarat sphītaṃ tataḥ pañcanadaṃ yayau ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说：其后，那匹祭马在引导之下，沿着海滨穿行于西方诸国。它循序渐进，游历富庶之地，继而抵达丰饶的五河之国——般遮那陀（Pañcanada）；此乃阿湿婆梅陀祭礼有条不紊、无所阻碍地推进之征兆，也昭示国王以法（dharma）为纲的王权日益扩展。

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he/that (referring to the horse)', 'nītaḥ': 'led, guided, conducted', 'tataḥ': 'then

• thereafter', 'paścima-deśam': 'the western country/region (accusative singular)', 'samudrasya': 'of the ocean/sea (genitive singular)', 'tadā': 'at that time', 'hayaḥ': 'horse (especially a noble/ritual horse)', 'krameṇa': 'in sequence

• step by step', 'vyacarat': 'wandered, roamed, moved about', 'sphītam': 'prosperous, flourishing, abundant', 'pañcanadam': 'Pañcanada, the land of the five rivers', 'yayau': 'went, proceeded, reached'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Aśvamedha horse (hayaḥ)
• Western lands (paścima-deśa)
• Ocean/sea (samudra)
• Pañcanada (land of five rivers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores orderly, legitimate expansion under dharma: the sacrificial horse moves unhindered through regions, implying recognized authority and the ethical ideal that royal power should proceed in a regulated, ritually sanctioned manner rather than by arbitrary force.

What is happening in the narrative?

The Aśvamedha horse, being led onward, roams the western coastal regions by the sea and then, progressing gradually, arrives in the prosperous Pañcanada country—marking the continuing course of the sacrifice’s ceremonial journey.