Shloka 1
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
अफ्--णक+ एकनवतितमो< ध्याय: हिंसामिश्रित यज्ञ और धर्मकी निन्दा जनमेजय उवाच यज्ञे सक्ता नृपतयस्तपःसक्ता महर्षय: । शान्तिव्यवस्थिता विप्रा: शमे दम इति प्रभो
Janamejaya uvāca | yajñe saktā nṛpatayas tapaḥ-saktā maharṣayaḥ | śānti-vyavasthitā viprāḥ śame dame iti prabho ||
阇那梅阇耶说道：“噢，主上！诸王专志于祭祀；大圣仙专志于苦行；而婆罗门安住于寂静——凭借心之澄定与自制之律。”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts three dharmic orientations—royal duty expressed through yajña, sagehood through tapas, and brāhmaṇical excellence through śānti supported by śama (mental restraint) and dama (sense-control)—implying that inner discipline is a defining ethical foundation.
Janamejaya addresses the narrator with a reflective observation about how different social-spiritual roles pursue their characteristic practices, setting up a discussion on the merits and limits of sacrifice, austerity, and self-restraint within dharma.