Dhritarashtra Begins His Austerities at Shatayupa's Hermitage

Verse 1 (15.20.1)

ततो भागीरथीतीरे मेध्ये पुण्यजनोचिते । निवासमकरोद्राजा विदुरस्य मते स्थितः ॥

tato bhāgīrathītīre medhye puṇyajanocite | nivāsamakarodrājā vidurasya mate sthitaḥ

Then, on the pure bank of the Bhagirathi, a place fit for holy folk, the king took up residence, following Vidura's counsel.

Verse 2 (15.20.2)

तत्रैनं पर्युपातिष्ठन्ब्राह्मणा वनवासिनः । क्षत्रविट्शूद्रसङ्खाश्च बहवो भरतर्षभ ॥

tatrainaṃ paryupātiṣṭhanbrāhmaṇā vanavāsinaḥ | kṣatraviṭśūdrasaṅkhāśca bahavo bharatarṣabha

There the brahmins who dwelt in the forest waited upon him, and many groups of kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras too, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 3 (15.20.3)

स तैः परिवृतो राजा कथाभिः परिनन्द्य तान् । अनुजज्ञे स शिष्यान्वै विधिवत्प्रतिपूज्य च ॥

sa taiḥ parivṛto rājā kathābhiḥ parinandya tān | anujajñe sa śiṣyānvai vidhivatpratipūjya ca

Surrounded by them, the king gladdened them with talk, and having duly honoured them, gave the pupils leave to go.

Verse 4 (15.20.4)

सायाह्ने स महीपालस्ततो गङ्गामुपेत्य च । चकार विधिवच्छौचं गान्धारी च यशस्विनी ॥

sāyāhne sa mahīpālastato gaṅgāmupetya ca | cakāra vidhivacchaucaṃ gāndhārī ca yaśasvinī

At evening that protector of the earth went to the Ganga and duly performed his ablutions, and so did the renowned Gandhari.

Verse 5 (15.20.5)

ते चैवान्ये पृथक् सर्वे तीर्थेष्वाप्लुत्य भारत । चक्रुः सर्वाः क्रियास्तत्र पुरुषा विदुरादयः ॥

te caivānye pṛthak sarve tīrtheṣvāplutya bhārata | cakruḥ sarvāḥ kriyāstatra puruṣā vidurādayaḥ

The others too, each separately, bathed at the sacred fords, Bharata, and the men led by Vidura performed all the rites there.

Verse 6 (15.20.6)

कृतशौचं ततो वृद्धं श्वशुरं कुन्तिभोजजा । गान्धारीं च पृथा राजन्गङ्गातीर्थमुपानयत् ॥

kṛtaśaucaṃ tato vṛddhaṃ śvaśuraṃ kuntibhojajā | gāndhārīṃ ca pṛthā rājangaṅgātīrthamupānayat

Then Kuntibhoja's daughter Pritha led her aged father-in-law, whose purification was done, and Gandhari to the bank of the Ganga, O king.

Verse 7 (15.20.7)

राज्ञस्तु याजकैस्तत्र कृतो वेदीपरिस्तरः । जुहाव तत्र वह्निं स नृपतिः सत्यसङ्गरः ॥

rājñastu yājakaistatra kṛto vedīparistaraḥ | juhāva tatra vahniṃ sa nṛpatiḥ satyasaṅgaraḥ

The priests had strewn the sacred grass around an altar for the king there, and the king, true to his word, made his offering into the fire.

Verse 8 (15.20.8)

ततो भागीरथीतीरात्कुरुक्षेत्रं जगाम सः । सानुगो नृपतिर्वृद्धो नियतः संयतेन्द्रियः ॥

tato bhāgīrathītīrātkurukṣetraṃ jagāma saḥ | sānugo nṛpatirvṛddho niyataḥ saṃyatendriyaḥ

Then from the bank of the Bhagirathi the aged king went to Kurukshetra with his followers, disciplined and with his senses restrained.

Verse 9 (15.20.9)

तत्राश्रमपदं धीमानभिगम्य स पार्थिवः । आससादाथ राजर्षिं शतयूपं मनीषिणम् ॥

tatrāśramapadaṃ dhīmānabhigamya sa pārthivaḥ | āsasādātha rājarṣiṃ śatayūpaṃ manīṣiṇam

Reaching the hermitage there, that wise king came upon the royal sage Shatayupa, a man of understanding.

Verse 10 (15.20.10)

स हि राजा महानासीत्केकयेषु परंतपः । स्वपुत्रं मनुजैश्वर्ये निवेश्य वनमाविशत् ॥

sa hi rājā mahānāsītkekayeṣu paraṃtapaḥ | svaputraṃ manujaiśvarye niveśya vanamāviśat

He had been a great king among the Kekayas, a scorcher of foes; having set his son over the lordship of men, he had entered the forest.

Note on the text: Corrected परंपतः → परंतपः (misprint in Wikisource; परंपतः is not a word; the epithet is परंतप, "scorcher of foes", as the critical edition reads (paraṃtapaḥ)).

Verse 11 (15.20.11)

तेनासौ सहितो राजा ययौ व्यासाश्रमं प्रति । तत्रैनं विधिवद्राजन्प्रत्यगृह्णात्कुरूद्वहम् ॥

tenāsau sahito rājā yayau vyāsāśramaṃ prati | tatrainaṃ vidhivadrājanpratyagṛhṇātkurūdvaham

With him the king went to Vyasa's hermitage, and there, O king, he duly welcomed the Kuru chief.

Verse 12 (15.20.12)

स दीक्षां तत्र संप्राप्य राजा कौरवनन्दनः । शतयूपाश्रमे तस्मिन्निवासमकरोत्तदा ॥

sa dīkṣāṃ tatra saṃprāpya rājā kauravanandanaḥ | śatayūpāśrame tasminnivāsamakarottadā

Having received initiation there, that king, the delight of the Kauravas, took up his residence in Shatayupa's hermitage.

Verse 13 (15.20.13)

तस्मै सर्वं विधिं राज्ञे राजाऽऽचख्यौ महामतिः । आरण्यकं महाराज व्यासस्यानुमते तदा ॥

tasmai sarvaṃ vidhiṃ rājñe rājā''cakhyau mahāmatiḥ | āraṇyakaṃ mahārāja vyāsasyānumate tadā

With Vyasa's consent, O great king, the very wise royal sage explained to the king the entire rule of the forest life.

Verse 14 (15.20.14)

एवं च तपसा राजन्धृतराष्ट्रो महामनाः । योजयामास चात्मानं तांश्चाप्यनुचरांस्तदा ॥

evaṃ ca tapasā rājandhṛtarāṣṭro mahāmanāḥ | yojayāmāsa cātmānaṃ tāṃścāpyanucarāṃstadā

And so, O king, the great-minded Dhritarashtra yoked himself to austerity, and his attendants as well.

Verse 15 (15.20.15)

तथैव देवी गान्धारी वल्कलाजिनधारिणी । कुन्त्या सह महाराज समानव्रतचारिणी ॥

tathaiva devī gāndhārī valkalājinadhāriṇī | kuntyā saha mahārāja samānavratacāriṇī

In the same way queen Gandhari, wearing bark and deerskin, kept the same vows together with Kunti, O great king.

Note on the text: Corrected महाराजि → महाराज (misprint in Wikisource; महाराजि is not a word here; the vocative महाराज is meant, as the critical edition reads (mahārāja)).

Verse 16 (15.20.16)

कर्मणा मनसा वाचा चक्षुषा चैव ते नृप । सन्नियम्येन्द्रियग्राममास्थिताः परमं तपः ॥

karmaṇā manasā vācā cakṣuṣā caiva te nṛpa | sanniyamyendriyagrāmamāsthitāḥ paramaṃ tapaḥ

In deed, mind, speech and sight alike, O king, they restrained the host of the senses and held fast to the highest austerity.

Verse 17 (15.20.17)

त्वगस्थिभूतः परिशुष्कमांसो । जटाजिनी वल्कलसंवृताङ्गः । स पार्थिवस्तत्र तपश्चचार । महर्षिवत्तीव्रमपेतमोहः ॥

tvagasthibhūtaḥ pariśuṣkamāṃso | jaṭājinī valkalasaṃvṛtāṅgaḥ | sa pārthivastatra tapaścacāra | maharṣivattīvramapetamohaḥ

Reduced to skin and bone, his flesh quite dried up, with matted locks, deerskin and a body wrapped in bark, that king practised fierce austerity there like a great sage, free of delusion.

Note on the text: Corrected पार्तिवस् → पार्थिवस् (misprint in Wikisource; पार्तिव is not a word; पार्थिव, "king", as the critical edition reads (pārthivaḥ)). Four-line verse, as on the page (labelled 20-17a-d). Line 4 ends अपेतमोहः against CE apetadoṣaḥ, a recension variant; kept.

Verse 18 (15.20.18)

क्षत्ता च धर्मार्थविदग्र्यबुद्धिः । ससंजयस्तं नृपतिं सदारम् । उपाचरद्धोरतपोर्जितात्मा । तदा कृशो वल्कलचीरवासाः ॥

kṣattā ca dharmārthavidagryabuddhiḥ | sasaṃjayastaṃ nṛpatiṃ sadāram | upācaraddhorataporjitātmā | tadā kṛśo valkalacīravāsāḥ

And Kshattri (Vidura), of keenest mind in dharma and artha, together with Sanjaya, attended on that king and his wife; he too had grown lean, clad in bark and rags, his self disciplined by fierce austerity.

Note on the text: Four-line verse, as on the page (labelled 20-18a-d).