शामित्रे तु हयस्तत्र तथा जलचराश्च ये। ऋत्विग्भिस्सर्वमेवैतन्नियुक्तं शास्त्रतस्तदा।।1.14.29।।
Meaning
The horse and the aquatic creatures were bound for the closing rite by the priests, all in accordance with tradition.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| śāmitre tu hayaḥ tatra | शामित्रे तु हयः तत्र | the horse [was appointed] to the Shamitra rite | Nominative singular |
| tathā jala-carāḥ ca ye | तथा जल-चराः च ये | and likewise those that dwell in water | Nominative plural |
| ṛtvigbhiḥ sarvam eva etat | ऋत्विग्भिः सर्वम् एव एतत् | all of this by the officiating priests | Instrumental plural |
| niyuktam śāstrataḥ tadā | नियुक्तम् शास्त्रतः तदा | was appointed then, according to scripture | Nominative singular |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source is emphatic that Queen Kausalya did not actually butcher the horse: this is a symbolic act performed with three golden knives, per the scriptural injunction that all eligible wives of the ritual's performer must symbolically pierce the horse this way -- suvarNaibhiH sUchiibhiH patnayoH ashvasya sipaThAn kalayanti.
2 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.14.31 · Bāla Kāṇḍa