Vyasa Hears the Debate on Five Husbands

Verse 1 (1.211.1)

ततस्ते पाण्डवाः सर्वे पाञ्चाल्यश्च महायशाः । प्रत्युत्थाय महात्मानं कृष्णं सर्वेऽभ्यवादयन् ॥

tataste pāṇḍavāḥ sarve pāñcālyaśca mahāyaśāḥ | pratyutthāya mahātmānaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ sarve'bhyavādayan

Then all the Pandavas and the illustrious king of Panchala rose to meet the great-souled Krishna Dvaipayana, and all of them saluted him.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रत्युथाय → प्रत्युत्थाय (misprint in Wikisource; dropped त in the conjunct, as in the critical edition).

Verse 2 (1.211.2)

प्रतिनन्द्य स तां पूजां पृष्ट्वा कुशलमन्ततः । आसने काञ्चने शुद्धे निषसाद महामनाः ॥

pratinandya sa tāṃ pūjāṃ pṛṣṭvā kuśalamantataḥ | āsane kāñcane śuddhe niṣasāda mahāmanāḥ

Accepting their homage with pleasure and asking at last after their welfare, the great-minded sage sat down on a pure golden seat.

Verse 3 (1.211.3)

अनुज्ञातास्तु ते सर्वे कृष्णेनामिततेजसा । आसनेषु महार्हेषु निषेदुर्द्विपदां वराः ॥

anujñātāstu te sarve kṛṣṇenāmitatejasā | āsaneṣu mahārheṣu niṣedurdvipadāṃ varāḥ

With the leave of Krishna of boundless splendour, all those best of men sat down on costly seats.

Verse 4 (1.211.4)

ततो मुहूर्तान्मधुरां वाणीमुच्चार्य पार्षतः । पप्रच्छ तं महात्मानं द्रौपद्यर्थं विशांपते ॥

tato muhūrtānmadhurāṃ vāṇīmuccārya pārṣataḥ | papraccha taṃ mahātmānaṃ draupadyarthaṃ viśāṃpate

After a moment Parshata spoke in a sweet voice and asked the great-souled sage about Draupadi, lord of the people:

Verse 5 (1.211.5)

कथमेका बहूनां स्यान्न च स्याद्धर्मसंकरः । एतन्मे भगवान्सर्वं प्रब्रवीतु यथातथम् ॥

kathamekā bahūnāṃ syānna ca syāddharmasaṃkaraḥ | etanme bhagavānsarvaṃ prabravītu yathātatham

"How can one woman belong to many men without a confusion of dharma? Let the blessed one tell me all of this exactly as it is."

Note on the text: Speaker set to Drupada: the verse is his question, announced in verse 4 (no speaker line in Wikisource).

Verse 6 (1.211.6)

अस्मिन्धर्मे विप्रलब्धे लोकवेदविरोधके । यस्य यस्य मतं यद्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छामि तस्य तत् ॥

asmindharme vipralabdhe lokavedavirodhake | yasya yasya mataṃ yadyacchrotumicchāmi tasya tat

On this question of dharma, which seems deceptive and opposed to the world and the Veda, I wish to hear each man's view, whatever it may be.

Verse 7 (1.211.7)

अधर्मोऽयं मम मतो विरुद्धो लोकवेदयोः । न ह्येका विद्यते पत्नी बहूनां द्विजसत्तम ॥

adharmo'yaṃ mama mato viruddho lokavedayoḥ | na hyekā vidyate patnī bahūnāṃ dvijasattama

In my view this is adharma, opposed to the world and the Veda. One wife for many men is nowhere found, best of brahmins.

Verse 8 (1.211.8)

न चाप्याचरितः पूर्वैरयं धर्मो महात्मभिः । न चाप्यधर्मो विद्वद्भिश्चरितव्यः कथंचन ॥

na cāpyācaritaḥ pūrvairayaṃ dharmo mahātmabhiḥ | na cāpyadharmo vidvadbhiścaritavyaḥ kathaṃcana

Nor was this dharma practised by the great-souled men of old; and the wise should never practise adharma in any way.

Verse 9 (1.211.9)

ततोऽहं न करोम्येनं व्यवसायं क्रियां प्रति । धर्मः सदैव संदिग्धः प्रतिभाति हि मे त्वयम् ॥

tato'haṃ na karomyenaṃ vyavasāyaṃ kriyāṃ prati | dharmaḥ sadaiva saṃdigdhaḥ pratibhāti hi me tvayam

That is why I do not resolve to go ahead with this; for this dharma always seems doubtful to me.

Verse 10 (1.211.10)

यवीयसः कथं भार्यां ज्येष्ठो भ्राता द्विजर्षभ । ब्रह्मन्समभिवर्तेत सद्वृत्तः संस्तपोधन ॥

yavīyasaḥ kathaṃ bhāryāṃ jyeṣṭho bhrātā dvijarṣabha | brahmansamabhivarteta sadvṛttaḥ saṃstapodhana

How could an elder brother, if he is of good conduct, approach his younger brother's wife, bull among brahmins, O brahman rich in austerity?

Verse 11 (1.211.11)

न तु धर्मस्य सूक्ष्मत्वाद्गतिं विद्मः कथंचन । अधर्मो धर्म इति वा व्यवसायो न शक्यते ॥

na tu dharmasya sūkṣmatvādgatiṃ vidmaḥ kathaṃcana | adharmo dharma iti vā vyavasāyo na śakyate

But because dharma is subtle, we cannot know its course at all; and whether this is adharma or dharma, a decision cannot be made—

Verse 12 (1.211.12)

कर्तुमस्मद्विधैर्ब्रह्मंस्ततोऽयं न व्यवस्यते । पञ्चानां महिषी कृष्णा भवत्विति कथंचन ॥

kartumasmadvidhairbrahmaṃstato'yaṃ na vyavasyate | pañcānāṃ mahiṣī kṛṣṇā bhavatviti kathaṃcana

—by men like us, brahman. So it cannot be settled in any way that Krishna should be queen to five.

Verse 13 (1.211.13)

न मे वागनृतं प्राह नाधर्मे धीयते मतिः । वर्तते हि मनो मेऽत्र नैषोऽधर्मः कथंचन ॥

na me vāganṛtaṃ prāha nādharme dhīyate matiḥ | vartate hi mano me'tra naiṣo'dharmaḥ kathaṃcana

My tongue has never spoken a lie, and my mind does not turn to adharma. My mind inclines to this, so it is in no way adharma.

Verse 14 (1.211.14)

श्रूयते हि पुराणेऽपि जटिला नाम गौतमी । ऋषीनध्यासितवती सप्त धर्मभृतां वरा ॥

śrūyate hi purāṇe'pi jaṭilā nāma gautamī | ṛṣīnadhyāsitavatī sapta dharmabhṛtāṃ varā

For we hear in the Purana too that Jatila of the Gautama line, best of those who uphold dharma, lived with seven seers.

Verse 15 (1.211.15)

तथैव मुनिजा वार्क्षी तपोभिर्भावितात्मनः । संगताभूद्दश भ्रातॄनेकनाम्नः प्रचेतसः ॥

tathaiva munijā vārkṣī tapobhirbhāvitātmanaḥ | saṃgatābhūddaśa bhrātṝnekanāmnaḥ pracetasaḥ

In the same way the sage's daughter Varkshi was united with ten brothers who bore one name, the Prachetases, whose selves were purified by austerities.

Note on the text: Corrected भ्रातॄनकेन्म्नः → भ्रातॄनेकनाम्नः (misprint in Wikisource; अकेन्म्नः is not a word — the evident reading is एकनाम्नः 'of one name', the ten Prachetases, which also restores the metre). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 16 (1.211.16)

गुरोर्हि वचनं प्राहुर्धर्म्यं धर्मज्ञसत्तम । गुरूणां चैव सर्वेषां माता परमको गुरुः ॥

gurorhi vacanaṃ prāhurdharmyaṃ dharmajñasattama | gurūṇāṃ caiva sarveṣāṃ mātā paramako guruḥ

They say the word of an elder is in accord with dharma, best of those who know dharma; and of all elders the mother is the highest.

Verse 17 (1.211.17)

सा चाप्युक्तवती वाचं भैक्षवद्भुज्यतामिति । तस्मादेतदहं मन्ये परं धर्मं द्विजोत्तम ॥

sā cāpyuktavatī vācaṃ bhaikṣavadbhujyatāmiti | tasmādetadahaṃ manye paraṃ dharmaṃ dvijottama

And she said, 'Share it as you share your alms.' Therefore I hold this to be the highest dharma, best of brahmins.

Verse 18 (1.211.18)

एवमेतद्यथा प्राह धर्मचारी युधिष्ठिरः । भुज्यतां भ्रातृभिः सार्धमित्यर्जुनमचोदयम् । अनृतान्मे भयं तीव्रं मुच्येऽहमनृतात्कथम् ॥

evametadyathā prāha dharmacārī yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | bhujyatāṃ bhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhamityarjunamacodayam | anṛtānme bhayaṃ tīvraṃ mucye'hamanṛtātkatham

It is just as Yudhishthira, who walks in dharma, has said. I urged Arjuna, 'Share it with your brothers.' I am gravely afraid of untruth; how am I to be freed from untruth?

Note on the text: Corrected एतमेतद् → एवमेतद् (misprint in Wikisource; त for व, as in the critical edition, evam etad). Lines 1 and 3 = 1.188.17; the second line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 19 (1.211.19)

अनृतान्मोक्ष्यसे भद्रे धर्मश्चैव सनातनः । न तु वक्ष्यामि सर्वेषां पाञ्चाल शृणु मे स्वयम् ॥

anṛtānmokṣyase bhadre dharmaścaiva sanātanaḥ | na tu vakṣyāmi sarveṣāṃ pāñcāla śṛṇu me svayam

You will be freed from untruth, good lady, and this is indeed the eternal dharma. But I will not speak of it before everyone; Panchala, hear it from me yourself—

Note on the text: Corrected ननु → न तु (misprint in Wikisource; the run-together ननु 'surely' reverses the sense, since Vyasa goes on to speak to Drupada alone — the critical edition reads na tu) and शृमु → शृणु (misprint; म for ण).

Verse 20 (1.211.20)

यथाऽयं विहितो धर्मो यतश्चायं सनातनः । यथा च प्राह कौन्तेयस्तथा धर्मो न संशयः ॥

yathā'yaṃ vihito dharmo yataścāyaṃ sanātanaḥ | yathā ca prāha kaunteyastathā dharmo na saṃśayaḥ

—how this dharma was ordained, and why it is eternal. As the son of Kunti has said, so is dharma; there is no doubt.

Verse 21 (1.211.21)

तत उत्थाय भगवान्व्यासो द्वैपायनः प्रभुः । करे गृहीत्वा राजानं राजवेश्म समाविशत् ॥

tata utthāya bhagavānvyāso dvaipāyanaḥ prabhuḥ | kare gṛhītvā rājānaṃ rājaveśma samāviśat

Then the blessed lord Vyasa Dvaipayana rose, took the king by the hand, and went into the royal chamber.

Verse 22 (1.211.22)

पाण्डवाश्चापि कुन्ती च धृष्टद्युम्नश्च पार्षतः । विविशुस्तेऽपि तत्रैव प्रतीक्षन्ते स्म तावुभौ ॥

pāṇḍavāścāpi kuntī ca dhṛṣṭadyumnaśca pārṣataḥ | viviśuste'pi tatraiva pratīkṣante sma tāvubhau

The Pandavas, Kunti and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata's line went in there as well, and waited for the two of them.

Verse 23 (1.211.23)

ततो द्वैपायनस्तस्मै नरेन्द्राय महात्मने । आचख्यौ तद्यथा धर्मो बहूनामेकपत्निता ॥

tato dvaipāyanastasmai narendrāya mahātmane | ācakhyau tadyathā dharmo bahūnāmekapatnitā

Then Dvaipayana explained to that great-souled lord of men how it was dharma for many men to share one wife,

Note on the text: Corrected द्वैपायनस्त्समै → द्वैपायनस्तस्मै (misprint in Wikisource; misplaced virama in तस्मै 'to him'). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 24 (1.211.24)

यथा च ते ददुश्चैव राजपुत्र्याः पुरा वरम् । धर्माद्यास्तपसा तुष्टाः पञ्चपत्नीत्वमीश्वराः ॥

yathā ca te daduścaiva rājaputryāḥ purā varam | dharmādyāstapasā tuṣṭāḥ pañcapatnītvamīśvarāḥ

and how, long ago, Dharma and the other lords, pleased by her austerity, had granted the princess the boon of being wife to five.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (` and ') and a doubled danda. Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).