Dhritarashtra Leaves Hastinapura for the Forest

Verse 1 (15.16.1)

ततः प्रभाते राजा स धृतराष्ट्रोऽम्बिकासुतः । आनाय्य पाण्डवान्वीरान्वनवासे कृतक्षणः ॥

tataḥ prabhāte rājā sa dhṛtarāṣṭro'mbikāsutaḥ | ānāyya pāṇḍavānvīrānvanavāse kṛtakṣaṇaḥ

Then at dawn King Dhritarashtra, son of Ambika, who had fixed the time for going to live in the forest, summoned the heroic Pandavas,

Note on the text: Corrected धृतराष्ट्रोंऽबिकासुतः → धृतराष्ट्रोऽम्बिकासुतः (misprint in Wikisource; garbled anusvara-avagraha; CE dhṛtarāṣṭro 'mbikāsutaḥ). Corrected वनषासे → वनवासे (misprint in Wikisource; CE vanavāsa-). Wikisource reads आनाय्य where the critical edition has आहूय (recension variant, kept).

Verse 2 (15.16.2)

गान्धारीसहितो धीमानभ्यनन्दद्यथाविधि । कार्तिक्यां कारयित्वेष्टिं ब्राह्मणैर्वेदपारगैः ॥

gāndhārīsahito dhīmānabhyanandadyathāvidhi | kārtikyāṃ kārayitveṣṭiṃ brāhmaṇairvedapāragaiḥ

and the wise king, with Gandhari, greeted them as is proper; and he had a fire-rite performed on the Kartika day by Brahmins who had mastered the Vedas.

Verse 3 (15.16.3)

अग्निहोत्रं पुरस्कृत्य वल्कलाजिनसंवृतः । वधूजनवृतो राजा निर्ययौ भवनात्ततः ॥

agnihotraṃ puraskṛtya valkalājinasaṃvṛtaḥ | vadhūjanavṛto rājā niryayau bhavanāttataḥ

With the sacred fire carried before him, clothed in bark and antelope skin and surrounded by his daughters-in-law, the king then went out from his house.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads वधूजनवृतः where the critical edition has वधूपरिवृतः (recension variant, kept).

Verse 4 (15.16.4)

ततः स्त्रियः कौरवपाण्डवानां । याश्चापराः कौरवराजवंश्याः । तासां नादः प्रादुरासीत्तदानीं । वैचित्रिवीर्ये नृपतौ प्रयाते ॥

tataḥ striyaḥ kauravapāṇḍavānāṃ | yāścāparāḥ kauravarājavaṃśyāḥ | tāsāṃ nādaḥ prādurāsīttadānīṃ | vaicitrivīrye nṛpatau prayāte

Then the women of the Kauravas and the Pandavas, and others of the Kaurava royal line — from them rose a wail at that moment, as the son of Vichitravirya, the king, set out.

Note on the text: Corrected याञ्चापराः → याश्चापराः (misprint in Wikisource; ञ for श; the sense is 'and others' (CE yāś cāpy anyāḥ)).

Verse 5 (15.16.5)

ततो लाजैः सुमनोभिश्च राजा । विचित्राभिस्तद्गृहं पूजयित्वा । संयोज्याश्वैर्भृत्यवर्गं च सर्वं । ततः समुत्सृज्य ययौ नरेन्द्रः ॥

tato lājaiḥ sumanobhiśca rājā | vicitrābhistadgṛhaṃ pūjayitvā | saṃyojyāśvairbhṛtyavargaṃ ca sarvaṃ | tataḥ samutsṛjya yayau narendraḥ

Then, having honoured that house with parched grain and bright flowers, and having provided all his body of servants with horses, the lord of men dismissed them and departed.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads संयोज्याश्वैर्भृत्यवर्गम् where the critical edition has saṃyojyārthair bhṛtyajanam (recension variant, kept).

Verse 6 (15.16.6)

ततो राजा प्राञ्जलिर्वेपमानो । युधिष्ठिरः सस्वरं बाष्पकण्ठः । विनद्योच्चैर्हा महाराज साधो । क्व यास्यसीत्यपतत्तात भूमौ ॥

tato rājā prāñjalirvepamāno | yudhiṣṭhiraḥ sasvaraṃ bāṣpakaṇṭhaḥ | vinadyoccairhā mahārāja sādho | kva yāsyasītyapatattāta bhūmau

Then King Yudhishthira, trembling with folded hands, his throat choked with tears, cried out aloud, "Alas, great king, good man, where will you go?" and fell to the ground, my child.

Note on the text: Corrected विनद्योच्चैर्गां → विनद्योच्चैर्हा (misprint in Wikisource; गां is meaningless here; CE vilapyoccair hā). Corrected क्व यास्यसीत्यपतत्ताति → क्व यास्यसीत्यपतत्तात (misprint in Wikisource; CE apatat tāta). Wikisource reads विनद्य (the critical edition has vilapyoccaiḥ) and यास्यसि (the critical edition has gantāsi): recension variants, kept.

Verse 7 (15.16.7)

तथाऽर्जुनस्तीव्रदुःखाभितप्तो । मुहुर्मुहुर्निःश्वसन्भारताग्र्यः । युधिष्ठिरं मैवमित्येवमुक्त्वा । निगृह्याथो दीनतरो बभूव ॥

tathā'rjunastīvraduḥkhābhitapto | muhurmuhurniḥśvasanbhāratāgryaḥ | yudhiṣṭhiraṃ maivamityevamuktvā | nigṛhyātho dīnataro babhūva

And Arjuna, the foremost of the Bharatas, burning with sharp grief and sighing again and again, said to Yudhishthira, "Not so!", and having restrained him grew even more downcast.

Note on the text: Corrected निः श्वसन् → निःश्वसन् (misprint in Wikisource; stray space). Wikisource reads निगृह्याथो दीनतरो बभूव where the critical edition has nigṛhyāthodīdharat sīdamānaḥ (recension variant, kept).

Verse 8 (15.16.8)

वृकोदरः फल्गुनश्चैव वीरौ । माद्रीपुत्रौ विदुरः संजयश्च । वैश्यापुत्रः सहितो गौतमेन । धौम्यो विप्राश्चान्वयुर्बाष्पकण्ठाः ॥

vṛkodaraḥ phalgunaścaiva vīrau | mādrīputrau viduraḥ saṃjayaśca | vaiśyāputraḥ sahito gautamena | dhaumyo viprāścānvayurbāṣpakaṇṭhāḥ

The heroes Vrikodara and Phalguna, the two sons of Madri, Vidura and Sanjaya, the son of the Vaishya woman (Yuyutsu) with Gautama (Kripa), Dhaumya and the Brahmins followed, their throats choked with tears.

Verse 9 (15.16.9)

कुन्ती गान्धारीं बद्धनेत्रां व्रजन्तीं । स्कन्धासक्तं हस्तमथोद्वहन्ती । राजा गान्धार्याः स्कन्धदेशेऽवसज्य । पाणिं ययौ धृतराष्ट्रः प्रतीतः ॥

kuntī gāndhārīṃ baddhanetrāṃ vrajantīṃ | skandhāsaktaṃ hastamathodvahantī | rājā gāndhāryāḥ skandhadeśe'vasajya | pāṇiṃ yayau dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ pratītaḥ

Kunti led Gandhari, whose eyes were bound, as she walked, carrying her hand resting on her own shoulder; and King Dhritarashtra, laying his hand on Gandhari's shoulder, went along with assurance.

Note on the text: The page footnote records the variant reading of the first line (कुन्ती गान्धारीमनुभर्तृ व्रजन्तीम्); the printed text is kept.

Verse 10 (15.16.10)

तथा कृष्णा द्रौपदी यादवी च । बालापत्या चोत्तरा कौरवी च । चित्राङ्गदा याश्च काश्चित्स्त्रियोऽन्याः । सार्धं राज्ञा प्रस्थितास्ता वधूभिः ॥

tathā kṛṣṇā draupadī yādavī ca | bālāpatyā cottarā kauravī ca | citrāṅgadā yāśca kāścitstriyo'nyāḥ | sārdhaṃ rājñā prasthitāstā vadhūbhiḥ

So too Krishna Draupadi, the Yadava lady (Subhadra), Uttara of the Kaurava house with her young child, Chitrangada, and whatever other women there were, set out with the king together with their daughters-in-law.

Verse 11 (15.16.11)

तासां नादो रुदतीनां तदाऽऽसी- । द्राजन्दुःखात्कुररीणामिवोच्चैः । ततो निष्पेतुर्ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियाणां । विट्शूद्राणां चैव भार्याः समन्तात् ॥

tāsāṃ nādo rudatīnāṃ tadā''sī- | drājanduḥkhātkurarīṇāmivoccaiḥ | tato niṣpeturbrāhmaṇakṣatriyāṇāṃ | viṭśūdrāṇāṃ caiva bhāryāḥ samantāt

The wail of those weeping women then rose high, O king, from grief, like the cries of ospreys; and then from every side the wives of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras poured out.

Note on the text: The page splits तदाऽऽसीद् across the line break (तदाऽऽसी- / द्राजन्); kept as printed. Wikisource reads भार्याः where the critical edition has nāryaḥ (recension variant, kept).

Verse 12 (15.16.12)

तन्निर्याणे दुःखितः पौरवर्गो । गजाह्वये चैव बभूव राजन् । यथापूर्वं गच्छतां पाण्डवानां । द्यूते राजन्कौरवाणां सभायाम् ॥

tanniryāṇe duḥkhitaḥ pauravargo | gajāhvaye caiva babhūva rājan | yathāpūrvaṃ gacchatāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ | dyūte rājankauravāṇāṃ sabhāyām

At that departure the citizens of Gajahvaya were grieved, O king, as they were long ago when the Pandavas went away after the dice game in the assembly of the Kauravas.

Verse 13 (15.16.13)

या नापश्यच्चन्द्रमा नैव सूर्यो । रामाः काश्चित्ताः स्म तस्मिन्नरेन्द्रे । महावनं गच्छति कौरवेन्द्रे । शोकेनार्ता राजमार्गं प्रपेदुः ॥

yā nāpaśyaccandramā naiva sūryo | rāmāḥ kāścittāḥ sma tasminnarendre | mahāvanaṃ gacchati kauravendre | śokenārtā rājamārgaṃ prapeduḥ

The women whom neither moon nor sun had ever seen, some of them, as that lord of kings, the Kaurava chief, was going to the great forest, came out onto the royal road, overwhelmed with sorrow.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads रामाः काश्चित्ताः स्म तस्मिन्नरेन्द्रे where the critical edition has rāmāḥ kadā cid api tasmin narendre (recension variant, kept).