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Celestial Weapons
Horses play an important role in the battle scenes of Mahabharata, giving soldiers extra mobility by allowing them to move around in chariots, and so they represent the relationship between humanity and nature. The most important horse in the poem is the one that Yudhishthira sacrifices in a horse ceremony after the Kurukshetra War to reaffirm his control over his kingdom. Before killing the horse, Yudhishthira lets it free to wander the entire span of his kingdom (with Arjuna’s protection). The horse’s long journey demonstrates how fully Yudhishthira controls both humanity and nature in his domain after the war.
On the one hand, humans work in tandem with horses in chariots on the battlefield, showing humanity’s harmonious connection to nature. But ultimately, many horses die over the course of the war, and Yudhishthira’s sacrifice of the horse at the end symbolizes humanity’s power over nature. But in spite of the sacrifice, this does not necessarily mean that humanity must have a violent relationship with nature. Other parts of the poem praise nonviolence, and at one point Krishna advises against eating meat, at least for certain situations and certain classes of people. In the end, humanity’s role as a leader over nature is a way for humans to show respect and devotion to the gods who created nature, and with the horse sacrifice, Yudhishthira demonstrates his understanding of this balance between humanity, nature, and the gods.
Horses Quotes in Mahabharata
The Mahabharata quotes below all refer to the symbol of Horses. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14. The Horse Sacrifice
Quotes
‘Perform the horse sacrifice in due form, with gifts to all the Brahmins; for the horse sacrifice purifies one of all sins, lord of kings, and after sacrificing with that rite you will be sinless, make no doubt.’
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Mahabharata LitChart as a printable PDF.
Horses Symbol Timeline in Mahabharata
The timeline below shows where the symbol Horses appears in Mahabharata. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4. Virata
...(because he can tell stories and dance like a woman), Nakula plans to be a horse master (because he’s skilled at training them), and Sahadeva plans to be a cattle overseer...
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Chapter 5. Perseverance
...him. Afterwards, Indra feels guilty. Eventually Indra atones for what he did by offering a horse sacrifice and performing other deeds in penance.
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...world, but Galava wants to bring him back a gift. Viśvamitra asks for 800 white horses with one black ear. With some help from Vishnu and from the king Yayati, Galava...
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Chapter 6. Bhishma
...supporters and heads for Bhishma himself. Bhishma responds later in the day by killing Yudhishthira’s horses.
(full context)
...a decisive advantage. A Rakshasa who is still mad about Bhima killing Baka sends illusory horses into battle to confuse the Pandavas. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Bhima’s Rakshasa son, Ghatotkaca,...
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Chapter 7. Drona
...take him toward Jayadratha. Karna is the last defense, but Arjuna manages to slay his horses. Aśvatthaman takes Karna into his chariot, and the fighting continues. Krishna informs Arjuna that it...
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...fighters see this carnage and retreat in fear. Karna stands firm, but Ghatotkaca kills his horses, unseating him from his chariot.
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...them engage in fierce battle, firing arrows back and forth. Drona manages to kill Dhrishtadyumna’s horses, forcing him out of his chariot. In turn, Dhrishtadyumna takes his sword and goes to...
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Chapter 9. Salya
...arrow, but despite his serious injury, Yudhishthira fires back. Salya presses his attack, killing Yudhishthira’s horses, so Bhima intervenes, firing enough arrows to make Salya almost faint and lose his armor....
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Chapter 12. Tranquility
...then Krishna, also try to help Yudhishthira overcome his grief. Vyasa recommends Yudhishthira preform a horse sacrifice.
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Chapter 14. The Horse Sacrifice
...father (Vasudeva)—Yudhishthira grants this request but makes Krishna promise to come back for the upcoming horse sacrifice.
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...Śiva, then they come back with cartloads full of riches. Krishna comes back for the horse sacrifice. The wife of the late Abhimanyu gives birth to a son called Parikshit who...
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...still listening to Vaiśampayana tell this story). Eventually, it comes to be time for the horse ceremony.
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On the day of the horse ceremony, even Krishna pays homage to Yudhishthira, who oversees the ceremony. He will release a...
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Arjuna fights off more enemies until finally the horse heads back toward Hastinapura. Yudhishthira gets word of him coming and orders the other brothers...
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Yudhishthira and the sacrificial priests carry out the horse ceremony exactly as the Vedas prescribe. They tie many animals to stakes to be sacrificed....
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When the horse sacrifice is over, a huge mongoose appears. Its body is half gold. The mongoose proclaims...
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