Shloka 33
शकुनेः पुत्रेण सह आश्वमेधाश्वविषयः संघर्षः — Arjuna’s restrained engagement with Śakuni’s son during the horse-escort
गाश्चैव महिषीश्वैव तथा वृद्धस्त्रियोडपि च | आऔदकानि च सत्त्वानि श्वापदानि वयांसि च
gāś caiva mahiṣīś caiva tathā vṛddha-striyo 'pi ca | audakāni ca sattvāni śvāpadāni vayāṃsi ca ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：“那里可见牛与水牛，甚至还有年迈的妇人；亦有水中生灵、猛兽与飞禽。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a dharmic vision of the world in which all classes of beings—domestic animals, vulnerable humans (the elderly), aquatic life, predators, and birds—are included within the king’s field of concern. In the Aśvamedha context, it evokes the ideal of comprehensive protection and ordered prosperity under righteous rule.
Vaiśampāyana is describing what was visible at the scene: a wide array of beings were observed—cows, buffaloes, elderly women, aquatic creatures, wild beasts, and birds—suggesting a vast, teeming presence around the event being narrated in this chapter.