Shloka 9
अश्वमेधावसानम् — Dakṣiṇā-vibhāga and Avabhṛtha
Completion of the Aśvamedha
हूयमाने तथा वह्लौ होत्रे गुणसमन्विते । देवेष्वाहयमानेषु स्थितेषु परमर्षिषु
hūyamāne tathā vahlau hotre guṇasamanvite | deveṣv āhayamāneṣu sthiteṣu paramarṣiṣu, rājan |
毗舍波耶那说道：“噢，大王，当具足胜德的供献由称职的诵祭官（Hotṛ）如法投入炽燃之火，诸神被召请，至高圣仙列立在场，祭祀在庄严中推进。然而正是在这井然的仪轨里，道义的张力悄然显现：及至缚系群兽之时，圣仙们心中涌起悲悯。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ideal order of Vedic sacrifice—proper oblations, correct priestly function, and the presence of seers and gods—while implicitly preparing for an ethical question: when ritual action approaches harm (as in animal binding), compassion and moral reflection arise even within a dharmic framework.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a grand sacrifice in progress: offerings are poured into the fire by the Hotṛ, the gods are invoked, and great ṛṣis stand by as witnesses. The broader passage (as reflected in the accompanying prose) moves toward the moment when animals are seized for the rite, prompting pity among the sages.