The Citizens Bid the Pandavas Farewell

Verse 1 (3.23.1)

तस्मिन्दशार्हाधिपतौ प्रयाते । युधिष्ठिरो भीमसेनार्जुनौ च । यमौ च कृष्णा च पुरोहितश्च । रथान्महार्हान्परमाश्वयुक्तान् ॥

tasmindaśārhādhipatau prayāte | yudhiṣṭhiro bhīmasenārjunau ca | yamau ca kṛṣṇā ca purohitaśca | rathānmahārhānparamāśvayuktān

When that lord of the Dasharhas had gone, Yudhishthira, Bhimasena and Arjuna, the twins, Krishnaa and the family priest — mounting costly chariots yoked with the finest horses —

Note on the text: Corrected कृष्ण च → कृष्णा च (misprint in Wikisource; dropped vowel sign; the name is Krishnaa, i.e. Draupadi; the critical edition reads kṛṣṇā ca).

Verse 2 (3.23.2)

आस्थाय वीराः सहिता वनाय । प्रतस्थिरे भूतपतिप्रकाशाः । हिरण्यनिष्कान्वसनानि गाश्च । प्रदाय शिक्षाक्षरमन्त्रविद्भ्यः ॥

āsthāya vīrāḥ sahitā vanāya | pratasthire bhūtapatiprakāśāḥ | hiraṇyaniṣkānvasanāni gāśca | pradāya śikṣākṣaramantravidbhyaḥ

those heroes set out together for the forest, shining like the Lord of beings, after giving gold coins, garments and cows to men learned in phonetics, the sacred syllables and the mantras.

Note on the text: Corrected अस्थाय → आस्थाय (misprint in Wikisource; short vowel for long; the critical edition reads āsthāya). Also corrected गदाय → प्रदाय (not a word; the critical edition reads pradāya).

Verse 3 (3.23.3)

प्रेष्याः पुरो विंशतिरात्तशस्त्रा । धनूंषि शस्त्राणि शरांश्च दीप्तान् । मौर्वीश्च यन्त्राणि च सायकांश्च । सर्वे समादाय जघन्यमीयुः ॥

preṣyāḥ puro viṃśatirāttaśastrā | dhanūṃṣi śastrāṇi śarāṃśca dīptān | maurvīśca yantrāṇi ca sāyakāṃśca | sarve samādāya jaghanyamīyuḥ

Twenty armed attendants, who had taken up bows, weapons and blazing arrows, bowstrings, engines and missiles beforehand, all followed behind.

Verse 4 (3.23.4)

ततस्तु वासांसि च राजपुत्र्या । धात्र्यश्च दास्यश्च विभूषणं च । तदिन्द्रसेनस्त्वरितः प्रगृह्य । जघन्यमेवोपययौ रथेन ॥

tatastu vāsāṃsi ca rājaputryā | dhātryaśca dāsyaśca vibhūṣaṇaṃ ca | tadindrasenastvaritaḥ pragṛhya | jaghanyamevopayayau rathena

Then Indrasena swiftly gathered the princess's garments, her nurses and maids, and the ornaments, and followed behind in a chariot.

Note on the text: Corrected तत्सतु → ततस्तु (misprint in Wikisource; transposed akshara; the critical edition reads tatas tu). त्वरितः for tvaritaṃ is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 5 (3.23.5)

ततः कुरुश्रेष्ठमुपेत्य पौराः । प्रदक्षिणं चक्रुरदीनसत्त्वाः । तं ब्राह्मणाश्चाभ्यवदन्प्रसन्ना । मुख्याश्च सर्वे कुरुजाङ्गलानाम् ॥

tataḥ kuruśreṣṭhamupetya paurāḥ | pradakṣiṇaṃ cakruradīnasattvāḥ | taṃ brāhmaṇāścābhyavadanprasannā | mukhyāśca sarve kurujāṅgalānām

Then the citizens, stout of heart, came up to the best of the Kurus and walked around him reverently; and the brahmins and all the leading men of Kurujangala greeted him with gladness.

Note on the text: Corrected -सत्वाः → -सत्त्वाः (misprint in Wikisource; dropped consonant in the conjunct; the critical edition reads -sattvāḥ).

Verse 6 (3.23.6)

स चापि तानभ्यवदत्प्रसन्नः । सहैव तैर्भ्रातृभिर्धर्मराजः । तस्थौ च तत्राधिपतिर्महात्मा । दृष्ट्वा जनौघं कुरुजाङ्गलानाम् ॥

sa cāpi tānabhyavadatprasannaḥ | sahaiva tairbhrātṛbhirdharmarājaḥ | tasthau ca tatrādhipatirmahātmā | dṛṣṭvā janaughaṃ kurujāṅgalānām

And the King of Dharma, together with his brothers, greeted them gladly in return; and the great-souled lord stood there, gazing at the throng of the people of Kurujangala.

Verse 7 (3.23.7)

पितेव पुत्रेषु स तेषु भावं । चक्रे कुरूणामृषभो महात्मा । ते चापि तस्मिन्भरतप्रबर्हे । तथा बभूवुः पितरीव पुत्राः ॥

piteva putreṣu sa teṣu bhāvaṃ | cakre kurūṇāmṛṣabho mahātmā | te cāpi tasminbharataprabarhe | tathā babhūvuḥ pitarīva putrāḥ

The great-souled bull of the Kurus felt toward them as a father feels toward his sons, and they in turn were to that foremost of the Bharatas as sons to a father.

Verse 8 (3.23.8)

ततस्तमासाद्य महाजनौघाः । कुरुप्रवीरं परिवार्य तस्थुः । हा नाथ हा धर्म इति ब्रुवाणा । ह्रीताश्च सर्वेऽश्रुमुखा बभूवुः ॥

tatastamāsādya mahājanaughāḥ | kurupravīraṃ parivārya tasthuḥ | hā nātha hā dharma iti bruvāṇā | hrītāśca sarve'śrumukhā babhūvuḥ

Then the great crowds of people came up and stood around the Kuru hero, crying, "Ah, our protector! Ah, Dharma!" and all of them, ashamed, wept.

Note on the text: Corrected हीताश्च → ह्रीताश्च (misprint in Wikisource; dropped र; the Wikisource commentary glosses the word as लज्जिताः "ashamed", i.e. ह्रीताः; the critical edition reads hriyā). Also removed a doubled avagraha (सर्वेऽऽश्रुमुखा → सर्वेऽश्रुमुखा) and restored word spaces (हानाथ हाधर्म → हा नाथ हा धर्म). ब्रुवाणा for bruvanto is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 9 (3.23.9)

वरः कुरूणामधिपः प्रजानां । पितेव पुत्रानपहाय चास्मान् । पौरानिमाञ्जानपदांश्च सर्वान् । हित्वा प्रयातः क्व नु धर्मराजः ॥

varaḥ kurūṇāmadhipaḥ prajānāṃ | piteva putrānapahāya cāsmān | paurānimāñjānapadāṃśca sarvān | hitvā prayātaḥ kva nu dharmarājaḥ

"The noblest of the Kurus, the lord of his people — where is the King of Dharma going, leaving us as a father leaves his sons, abandoning these townsfolk and all the country people?"

Note on the text: Restored missing word spaces (क्वनु → क्व नु).

Verse 10 (3.23.10)

धिग्धार्तराष्ट्रं सुनृशंसबुद्धिं । धिक्सौबलं पापमतिं च कर्णम् । अनर्थमिच्छन्ति नरेन्द्र पापा । ये धर्मनित्यस्य सतस्तवोग्राः ॥

dhigdhārtarāṣṭraṃ sunṛśaṃsabuddhiṃ | dhiksaubalaṃ pāpamatiṃ ca karṇam | anarthamicchanti narendra pāpā | ye dharmanityasya satastavogrāḥ

"Shame on the cruel-minded son of Dhritarashtra! Shame on Saubala, and on evil-minded Karna! Those fierce and wicked men wish you harm, lord of men, you who are good and ever devoted to dharma."

Note on the text: धिक्सौबलं for the critical edition's sasaubalaṃ is a recension variant and is kept.

Verse 11 (3.23.11)

स्वयं निवेश्याप्रतिमं महात्मा । पुरं महादेवपुरप्रकाशम् । शतक्रतुप्रस्थममोघकर्मा । हित्वा प्रयातः क्व नु धर्मराजः ॥

svayaṃ niveśyāpratimaṃ mahātmā | puraṃ mahādevapuraprakāśam | śatakratuprasthamamoghakarmā | hitvā prayātaḥ kva nu dharmarājaḥ

"He himself founded that matchless city, Shatakratu's Prastha, shining like the city of Mahadeva; where is he going now, the King of Dharma whose deeds never fail, leaving it behind?"

Note on the text: Restored missing word spaces (क्वनु → क्व नु).

Verse 12 (3.23.12)

चकार यामप्रतिमां महात्मा । सभां मयो देवसभाप्रकाशाम् । तां देवगुप्तामिव देवमायां । हित्वा प्रयातः क्व नु धर्मराजः ॥

cakāra yāmapratimāṃ mahātmā | sabhāṃ mayo devasabhāprakāśām | tāṃ devaguptāmiva devamāyāṃ | hitvā prayātaḥ kva nu dharmarājaḥ

"The matchless hall that great Maya built, shining like the hall of the gods, a divine marvel as though guarded by the gods — where is the King of Dharma going, leaving it behind?"

Note on the text: Restored missing word spaces (हित्वाप्रयातः क्वनु → हित्वा प्रयातः क्व नु).

Verse 13 (3.23.13)

तान्धर्मकामार्थविदुत्तमौजा । बीभत्सुरुच्चैः सहितानुवाच । आदास्यते वासमिमं निरुष्य । वनेषु राजा द्विषतां यशांसि ॥

tāndharmakāmārthaviduttamaujā | bībhatsuruccaiḥ sahitānuvāca | ādāsyate vāsamimaṃ niruṣya | vaneṣu rājā dviṣatāṃ yaśāṃsi

To them all, Bibhatsu, of the highest energy, who knows dharma, pleasure and wealth, spoke aloud: "When he has lived out this exile in the forests, the king will take back from his enemies their glory."

Note on the text: Corrected रवनेषु → वनेषु (misprint in Wikisource; stray र, which also makes the pada a syllable too long; the critical edition reads vaneṣu). The automatic alignment missed this verse because of the misprint; it is the critical edition's 3.24.13.

Verse 14 (3.23.14)

द्विजातिमुख्याः सहिताः पृथक्च । भवद्भिरासाद्य तपस्विनश्च । प्रसाद्य धर्मार्थविदश्च वाच्या । यथार्थसिद्धिः परमा भवेन्नः ॥

dvijātimukhyāḥ sahitāḥ pṛthakca | bhavadbhirāsādya tapasvinaśca | prasādya dharmārthavidaśca vācyā | yathārthasiddhiḥ paramā bhavennaḥ

"Approach the foremost of the twice-born and the ascetics, together and one by one; win the favour of those who know dharma and wealth, and ask them that our purpose may meet with the highest success."

Note on the text: Corrected पृथक्व → पृथक्च (misprint in Wikisource; व for च; the critical edition reads pṛthak ca).

Verse 15 (3.23.15)

इत्येवमुक्ते वचनेऽर्जुनेन । ते ब्राह्मणाः सर्ववर्णाश्च राजन् । मुदाऽभ्यनन्दन्सहिताश्च चक्रुः । प्रदक्षिणं धर्मभृतां वरिष्ठम् ॥

ityevamukte vacane'rjunena | te brāhmaṇāḥ sarvavarṇāśca rājan | mudā'bhyanandansahitāśca cakruḥ | pradakṣiṇaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ variṣṭham

When Arjuna had spoken these words, O king, the brahmins and the men of every class joyfully applauded him, and together they walked reverently around the best of the upholders of dharma.

Note on the text: Removed a doubled avagraha (वचनेऽऽर्जुनेन → वचनेऽर्जुनेन) and restored a word space (धर्मभृतांवरिष्ठम् → धर्मभृतां वरिष्ठम्).

Verse 16 (3.23.16)

आमन्त्र्य पार्थं च वृकोदरं च । धनंजयं याज्ञसेनीं यमौ च । प्रतस्थिरे राष्ट्रमपेतहर्षा । युधिष्ठिरेणानुमता यथास्वम् ॥

āmantrya pārthaṃ ca vṛkodaraṃ ca | dhanaṃjayaṃ yājñasenīṃ yamau ca | pratasthire rāṣṭramapetaharṣā | yudhiṣṭhireṇānumatā yathāsvam

Taking leave of Partha, of Vrikodara, of Dhananjaya, of Yajnaseni and of the twins, they set out for their own country with Yudhishthira's leave, their joy gone, each to his own home.

Note on the text: Corrected राष्ट्रमरपेतहार्षा → राष्ट्रमपेतहर्षा (misprint in Wikisource; stray र and a wrong long vowel; the critical edition reads rāṣṭram apetaharṣā).