कुमारं शितिपादास् तु रुक्मपत्रैर् उरश्छदैः ॥
सौचित्तिम् अवहन् युद्धे यन्तुः प्रेष्यकरा हयाः ॥
रुक्मपृष्ठावकीर्णास् तु कौशेयसदृशा हयाः ॥
सुवर्णमालिनः क्षान्ताः श्रेणिमन्तम् उदावहन् ॥
रुक्ममालाधराः शूरा हेमवर्णाः स्वलंकृताः ॥
काशिराजं हयश्रेष्ठाः श्लाघनीयम् उदावहन् ॥
kumāraṃ śitipādās tu rukmapatrair uraśchadaiḥ ||
saucittim avahan yuddhe yantuḥ preṣyakarā hayāḥ ||
rukmapṛṣṭhāvakīrṇās tu kauśeyasadṛśā hayāḥ ||
suvarṇamālinaḥ kṣāntāḥ śreṇimantam udāvahan ||
rukmamālādharāḥ śūrā hemavarṇāḥ svalaṃkṛtāḥ ||
kāśirājaṃ hayaśreṣṭhāḥ ślāghanīyam udāvahan ||
White-footed horses, in golden chest-plates, obedient to the charioteer, bore the youth Saucitti into battle. Horses in golden trappings, silken, in golden garlands, meek, bore Shreniman. Bearing golden garlands, valiant, golden-hued, finely decked, the best of horses bore the praiseworthy king of Kashi.
60cb11cdb97b · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
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These horses are not only swift but "meek," "obedient to the charioteer" — and in this gentle training lies an important truth: true strength is beautiful not in wildness but in obedience to the guiding hand. A horse fearsome in battle submits to its driver, as valor submits to reason and duty. It is telling that the gold of ornament sits beside gentleness of temper: brilliance without willfulness. The verse teaches that power, trained and obedient, is greater than power unbridled; that the beauty of strength lies in its submission to a higher purpose rather than in showy self-will; and that as a good horse entrusts itself to its charioteer, so a person attains true valor by entrusting his strength to the guidance of duty and reason.