The Pandavas Choose Dhaumya as Their Priest

Verse 1 (1.199.1)

अस्माकमनुरूपो वै यः स्याद्गन्धर्व वेदवित् । पुरोहितस्तमाचक्ष्व सर्वं हि विदितं तव ॥

asmākamanurūpo vai yaḥ syādgandharva vedavit | purohitastamācakṣva sarvaṃ hi viditaṃ tava

Tell us, Gandharva, of a priest learned in the Vedas who would be fitting for us; for everything is known to you.

Verse 2 (1.199.2)

यवीयान्देवलस्यैष वने भ्राता तपस्यति । धौम्य उत्कोचके तीर्थे तं वृणुध्वं यदीच्छथ ॥

yavīyāndevalasyaiṣa vane bhrātā tapasyati | dhaumya utkocake tīrthe taṃ vṛṇudhvaṃ yadīcchatha

Devala's younger brother, Dhaumya, is practising austerities in the forest at the tirtha of Utkochaka. Choose him, if you wish.

Note on the text: Corrected यीच्छथ → यदीच्छथ (misprint in Wikisource; dropped akshara, as in the critical edition "yadīcchatha").

Verse 3 (1.199.3)

ततोऽर्जुनोऽस्त्रमाग्नेयं प्रददौ तद्यथाविधि । गन्धर्वाय स च प्रीतो वचनं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥

tato'rjuno'stramāgneyaṃ pradadau tadyathāvidhi | gandharvāya sa ca prīto vacanaṃ cedamabravīt

Then Arjuna gave the Agneya weapon to the Gandharva with due rites; and the Gandharva, pleased, spoke these words:

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki mark (backtick) before स च प्रीतो, where a passage found only in the vulgate begins (it runs to verse 5); the critical edition's 1.174.3cd reads "tadā prīto" here. Speaker heading printed as वैशंपायन, normalised to वैशम्पायन.

Verse 4 (1.199.4)

मयि सन्ति हयश्रेष्ठास्तव दास्यामि वै सखे । उपकारकृतं मित्रं प्रतिकारेण योजये ॥

mayi santi hayaśreṣṭhāstava dāsyāmi vai sakhe | upakārakṛtaṃ mitraṃ pratikāreṇa yojaye

I have the finest horses, and I will give them to you, my friend. A friend who has done me a kindness I would repay with a kindness in return.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). The verse is the Gandharva's speech, though no speaker line is printed.

Verse 5 (1.199.5)

गृह्णीष्व चाक्षुषीं विद्यामिमां भरतसत्तम । एवमुक्तोऽर्जुनः प्रीतो वचनं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥

gṛhṇīṣva cākṣuṣīṃ vidyāmimāṃ bharatasattama | evamukto'rjunaḥ prīto vacanaṃ cedamabravīt

"And accept this Chakshushi lore, best of the Bharatas." Thus addressed, Arjuna, pleased, spoke these words:

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki mark (closing quote mark) after एवमुक्तोऽर्जुनः. Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 6 (1.199.6)

त्वय्येव तावत्तिष्ठन्तु हया गन्धर्वसत्तम । कार्यकाले ग्रहीष्यामः स्वस्ति तेऽस्त्विति चाब्रवीत् ॥

tvayyeva tāvattiṣṭhantu hayā gandharvasattama | kāryakāle grahīṣyāmaḥ svasti te'stviti cābravīt

"Let the horses stay with you for now, best of Gandharvas; we will take them when the time for action comes. May all be well with you," he said.

Verse 7 (1.199.7)

तेऽन्योन्यमभिसंपूज्य गन्धर्वः पाण्डवाश्च ह । रम्याद्भागीरथीतीराद्यथाकामं प्रतस्थिरे ॥

te'nyonyamabhisaṃpūjya gandharvaḥ pāṇḍavāśca ha | ramyādbhāgīrathītīrādyathākāmaṃ pratasthire

Having honoured one another, the Gandharva and the Pandavas set out from the lovely bank of the Bhagirathi, each where he pleased.

Verse 8 (1.199.8)

तत उत्कोचकं तीर्थं गत्वा धौम्याश्रमं तु ते । तं वव्रुः पाण्डवा धौम्यं पौरोहित्याय भारत ॥

tata utkocakaṃ tīrthaṃ gatvā dhaumyāśramaṃ tu te | taṃ vavruḥ pāṇḍavā dhaumyaṃ paurohityāya bhārata

Then the Pandavas went to the tirtha of Utkochaka, to Dhaumya's hermitage, and chose Dhaumya as their priest, O Bharata.

Verse 9 (1.199.9)

तान्धौम्यः प्रतिजग्राह सर्ववेदविदां वरः । वन्येन फलमूलेन पौरोहित्येन चैव ह ॥

tāndhaumyaḥ pratijagrāha sarvavedavidāṃ varaḥ | vanyena phalamūlena paurohityena caiva ha

Dhaumya, best of all who know the Vedas, received them with forest fruits and roots and by taking up the office of their priest.

Verse 10 (1.199.10)

ते समाशंसिरे लब्धां श्रियं राज्यं च पाण्डवाः । ब्राह्मणं तं पुरस्कृत्य पाञ्चालीं च स्वयंवरे ॥

te samāśaṃsire labdhāṃ śriyaṃ rājyaṃ ca pāṇḍavāḥ | brāhmaṇaṃ taṃ puraskṛtya pāñcālīṃ ca svayaṃvare

With that brahmin at their head, the Pandavas now looked on fortune and kingship as already won, and on the Panchala princess at her svayamvara.

Verse 11 (1.199.11)

पुरोहितेन तेनाथ गुरुणा संगतास्तदा । नाथवन्तमिवात्मानं मेनिरे भरतर्षभाः ॥

purohitena tenātha guruṇā saṃgatāstadā | nāthavantamivātmānaṃ menire bharatarṣabhāḥ

United then with that priest as their teacher, the bulls of the Bharatas felt that they now had a protector.

Verse 12 (1.199.12)

स हि वेदार्थतत्त्वज्ञस्तेषां गुरुरुदारधीः । वेदविच्चैव वाग्मी च धौम्यः श्रीमान्द्विजोत्तमः ॥

sa hi vedārthatattvajñasteṣāṃ gururudāradhīḥ | vedaviccaiva vāgmī ca dhaumyaḥ śrīmāndvijottamaḥ

For he knew the true meaning of the Vedas and was their teacher, of noble mind; the glorious Dhaumya, best of brahmins, was learned in the Vedas and eloquent.

Note on the text: The first line is the critical edition's 1.174.10ab; the second line is in the vulgate only (CE apparatus 1.174.14*1802).

Verse 13 (1.199.13)

तेजसा चैव बुद्ध्या च रूपेण यशसा श्रिया । मन्त्रैश्च विविधैर्धौम्यस्तुल्य आसीद्बृहस्पतेः ॥

tejasā caiva buddhyā ca rūpeṇa yaśasā śriyā | mantraiśca vividhairdhaumyastulya āsīdbṛhaspateḥ

In splendour and intellect, in beauty, fame and fortune, and in his many kinds of mantras, Dhaumya was the equal of Brihaspati.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). (CE apparatus 1.174.14*1802.)

Verse 14 (1.199.14)

स चापि विप्रस्तान्मेने स्वभावाभ्यधिकान्भुवि । तेन धर्मविदा पार्था याज्याः सर्वविदा वृताः ॥

sa cāpi viprastānmene svabhāvābhyadhikānbhuvi | tena dharmavidā pārthā yājyāḥ sarvavidā vṛtāḥ

That brahmin, for his part, held them to be by nature above all others on earth. By him, who knew dharma and knew all things, the Parthas were accepted as those for whom he would perform sacrifice.

Note on the text: Corrected योज्या → याज्याः (misprint in Wikisource; ो for ा and a dropped visarga, as in the critical edition "yājyāḥ"). The first line is in the vulgate only (CE apparatus 1.174.14*1802); the second is the critical edition's 1.174.10cd (वृताः for "kṛtāḥ").

Verse 15 (1.199.15)

मेनिरे सहिता वीराः प्राप्तं राज्यं च पाण्डवाः । बुद्धिवीर्यबलोत्साहैर्युक्ता देवा इवापरे ॥

menire sahitā vīrāḥ prāptaṃ rājyaṃ ca pāṇḍavāḥ | buddhivīryabalotsāhairyuktā devā ivāpare

Endowed with intelligence, valour, strength and zeal like a second race of gods, the heroic Pandavas together deemed the kingdom already won.

Note on the text: Corresponds to the critical edition's 1.174.11 with variant wording (there it is Dhaumya who deems them heroes who have won the kingdom).

Verse 16 (1.199.16)

कृतस्वस्त्ययनास्तेन ततस्ते मनुजाधिपाः । मेनिरे सहिता गन्तुं पाञ्चाल्यास्तं स्वयंवरम् ॥

kṛtasvastyayanāstena tataste manujādhipāḥ | menire sahitā gantuṃ pāñcālyāstaṃ svayaṃvaram

Then, when he had performed the rites for their safe journey, those lords of men resolved together to go to the svayamvara of the Panchala princess.