Yudhishthira Visits the Hermitages; Vyasa Arrives

Verse 1 (15.29.1)

ततस्तु राजन्नेतेषामाश्रमे पुण्यकर्मणाम् । शिवा नक्षत्रसम्पन्ना सा व्यतीयाय शर्वरी ॥

tatastu rājanneteṣāmāśrame puṇyakarmaṇām | śivā nakṣatrasampannā sā vyatīyāya śarvarī

Then, O king, for those men of holy deeds in the hermitage, that auspicious night, rich in stars, passed.

Note on the text: Recension variant: the critical edition (15.34.1) reads एवं सा रजनी तेषाम् … भारत for Wikisource's ततस्तु राजन्नेतेषाम्.

Verse 2 (15.29.2)

ततस्तत्र कथाश्चासंस्तेषां धर्मार्थलक्षणाः । विचित्रपदसञ्चारा नानाश्रुतिभिरन्विताः ॥

tatastatra kathāścāsaṃsteṣāṃ dharmārthalakṣaṇāḥ | vicitrapadasañcārā nānāśrutibhiranvitāḥ

There many talks went on among them, concerned with dharma and artha, rich in varied turns of speech, and full of many sacred teachings.

Verse 3 (15.29.3)

पाण्डवास्त्वभितो मातुर्धरण्यां सुषुपुस्तदा । उत्सृज्य तु महार्हाणि शयनानि नराधिप ॥

pāṇḍavāstvabhito māturdharaṇyāṃ suṣupustadā | utsṛjya tu mahārhāṇi śayanāni narādhipa

The Pandavas lay down on the ground all around their mother, giving up their costly beds, O lord of men.

Verse 4 (15.29.4)

यदाहारोऽभवद्राजा धृतराष्ट्रो महामनाः । तदाहारा नृवीरास्ते न्यवसंस्तां निशां तदा ॥

yadāhāro'bhavadrājā dhṛtarāṣṭro mahāmanāḥ | tadāhārā nṛvīrāste nyavasaṃstāṃ niśāṃ tadā

Whatever food King Dhritarashtra of great mind took, those heroes took the same, and so spent that night.

Note on the text: Corrected ऽभकवद् → ऽभवद् (misprint in Wikisource; stray क; the form is अभवत् "was", and the critical edition reads abhavat). Corrected नृवींरास्ते → नृवीरास्ते (misprint in Wikisource; stray ं; the word is नृवीराः "heroes", and the critical edition reads nṛvīrās te).

Verse 5 (15.29.5)

व्यतीतायां तु शर्वर्यां कृतपौर्वाह्णिकक्रियः । भ्रातृभिः सहितो राजा ददर्शाश्रममण्डलम् ॥

vyatītāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ kṛtapaurvāhṇikakriyaḥ | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito rājā dadarśāśramamaṇḍalam

When the night had passed and he had performed his morning rites, the king looked over the circle of hermitages together with his brothers,

Note on the text: Recension variant: the critical edition (15.34.5) reads कौन्तेयो for Wikisource's राजा, with भ्रातृभिः सह for भ्रातृभिः सहितो.

Verse 6 (15.29.6)

सान्तःपुरपरीवारः सभृत्यः सपुरोहितः । यथासुखं यथोद्देशं धृतराष्ट्राभ्यनुज्ञया ॥

sāntaḥpuraparīvāraḥ sabhṛtyaḥ sapurohitaḥ | yathāsukhaṃ yathoddeśaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrābhyanujñayā

attended by the ladies of his household, his servants and his priest, at his ease, as directed, with Dhritarashtra's leave.

Note on the text: Corrected सान्तः पुरपरीवारः → सान्तःपुरपरीवारः (misprint in Wikisource; a stray space splits the compound सान्तःपुरपरीवारः, which the critical edition reads as one word).

Verse 7 (15.29.7)

ददर्श तत्र वेदीश्च सम्प्रज्वलितपावकाः । कृताभिषेकैर्मुनिभिर्हुताग्निभिरुपस्थिताः ॥

dadarśa tatra vedīśca samprajvalitapāvakāḥ | kṛtābhiṣekairmunibhirhutāgnibhirupasthitāḥ

There he saw altars with fires blazing, attended by sages who had bathed and made their fire-offerings,

Verse 8 (15.29.8)

वानेयपुष्पनिकरैराज्यधूमोद्गमैरपि । ब्राह्मेण वपुषा युक्ता युक्ता मुनिगणस्य ताः ॥

vāneyapuṣpanikarairājyadhūmodgamairapi | brāhmeṇa vapuṣā yuktā yuktā munigaṇasya tāḥ

strewn with heaps of forest flowers and with smoke rising from the ghee-offerings; those altars were joined with brahmanic radiance, graced by the company of sages.

Verse 9 (15.29.9)

मृगयूथैरनुद्विग्नैस्तत्रतत्र समाश्रितैः । अशङ्कितैः पक्षिगणैः प्रगीतैरिव च प्रभो ॥

mṛgayūthairanudvignaistatratatra samāśritaiḥ | aśaṅkitaiḥ pakṣigaṇaiḥ pragītairiva ca prabho

It was frequented, here and there, by herds of deer, untroubled, and by flocks of birds, unafraid, as if singing, O lord;

Verse 10 (15.29.10)

केकाभिर्नीलकण्ठानां दात्यूहानां च कूजितैः । कोकिलानां कुहुरवैः सुखैः श्रुतिमनोहरैः ॥

kekābhirnīlakaṇṭhānāṃ dātyūhānāṃ ca kūjitaiḥ | kokilānāṃ kuhuravaiḥ sukhaiḥ śrutimanoharaiḥ

with the cries of peacocks, the calls of water-fowl, and the sweet, ear-charming cooing of cuckoos;

Verse 11 (15.29.11)

प्राधीतद्विजघोषैश्च क्वचित्क्वचिदलङ्कृतम् । फलमूलसमाहारैर्महद्भिश्चोपशोभितम् ॥

prādhītadvijaghoṣaiśca kvacitkvacidalaṅkṛtam | phalamūlasamāhārairmahadbhiścopaśobhitam

adorned here and there with the voices of twice-born reciting what they had studied, and graced by great stores of fruit and roots.

Verse 12 (15.29.12)

ततः स राजा प्रददौ तापसार्थमुपाहृतान् । कलशान्काञ्चनान्राजंस्तथैवौदुम्बरानपि ॥

tataḥ sa rājā pradadau tāpasārthamupāhṛtān | kalaśānkāñcanānrājaṃstathaivaudumbarānapi

Then the king gave the ascetics what had been brought for them: golden pots, and likewise pots of udumbara wood, O king,

Verse 13 (15.29.13)

अजिनानि प्रवेणीश्च स्रुक्स्रुवं च महीपतिः । कमण्डलूंश्च स्थालीश्च पिठराणि च भारत ॥

ajināni praveṇīśca sruksruvaṃ ca mahīpatiḥ | kamaṇḍalūṃśca sthālīśca piṭharāṇi ca bhārata

antelope skins, woven mats, ladles and spoons for the offering, water-pots, cooking pots and jars, O Bharata,

Note on the text: Corrected कमण्डलूंश्चि → कमण्डलूंश्च (misprint in Wikisource; stray ि; the conjunction च "and" is meant, and the critical edition reads kamaṇḍalūṃs tathā).

Verse 14 (15.29.14)

भाजनानि च लौहानि पात्रीश्च विविधा नृप । यद्यदिच्छति यावच्च यदन्यदपि काङ्क्षितम् ॥

bhājanāni ca lauhāni pātrīśca vividhā nṛpa | yadyadicchati yāvacca yadanyadapi kāṅkṣitam

iron vessels, and bowls of many kinds, O king — whatever each one wished, as much as he wished, and anything else that was desired.

Verse 15 (15.29.15)

एवं स राजा धर्मात्मा परीत्याश्रममण्डलम् । वसु विश्राण्य तत्सर्वं पुनरायान्महीपतिः ॥

evaṃ sa rājā dharmātmā parītyāśramamaṇḍalam | vasu viśrāṇya tatsarvaṃ punarāyānmahīpatiḥ

Having thus gone round the circle of hermitages and given away all that wealth, that righteous-souled king came back.

Verse 16 (15.29.16)

कृताह्निकं च राजानं धृतराष्ट्रं महीपतिम् । ददर्शासीनमव्यग्रं गान्धारीसहितं तदा ॥

kṛtāhnikaṃ ca rājānaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahīpatim | dadarśāsīnamavyagraṃ gāndhārīsahitaṃ tadā

He saw King Dhritarashtra, who had finished his daily rites, seated untroubled with Gandhari;

Verse 17 (15.29.17)

मातरं चाविदूरस्थां शिष्यवत्प्रणतां स्थिताम् । कुन्तीं ददर्श धर्मात्मा शिष्टाचारसमन्विताम् ॥

mātaraṃ cāvidūrasthāṃ śiṣyavatpraṇatāṃ sthitām | kuntīṃ dadarśa dharmātmā śiṣṭācārasamanvitām

and he, the righteous-souled, saw his mother Kunti standing not far off, bowed like a disciple, of seemly conduct.

Verse 18 (15.29.18)

स तमभ्यर्च्य राजानं नाम संश्राव्य चात्मनः । निषीदेत्यभ्यनुज्ञातो बृस्यामुपविवेश ह ॥

sa tamabhyarcya rājānaṃ nāma saṃśrāvya cātmanaḥ | niṣīdetyabhyanujñāto bṛsyāmupaviveśa ha

He paid homage to the king, announced his own name, and, bidden "Sit," sat down on a mat of rushes.

Note on the text: Corrected वृस्यामु → बृस्यामु (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब; the word is बृसी "seat of twisted grass", and the critical edition reads bṛsyām).

Verse 19 (15.29.19)

भीमसेनादयश्चैव पाण्डव भरतर्षभ । अभिवाद्योपसङ्गृह्य निषेदुः पार्थिवाज्ञया ॥

bhīmasenādayaścaiva pāṇḍava bharatarṣabha | abhivādyopasaṅgṛhya niṣeduḥ pārthivājñayā

And Bhimasena and the others, the Pandavas, O bull of the Bharatas, after saluting and clasping his feet, sat down at the king's command.

Verse 20 (15.29.20)

स तैः परिवृतो राजा शुशुभेऽतीव कौरवः । बिभ्रद्ब्राह्मीं श्रियं दीप्तां देवैरिव बृहस्पतिः ॥

sa taiḥ parivṛto rājā śuśubhe'tīva kauravaḥ | bibhradbrāhmīṃ śriyaṃ dīptāṃ devairiva bṛhaspatiḥ

Surrounded by them, the Kuru king shone greatly, bearing a bright brahmanic glory, like Brihaspati among the gods.

Verse 21 (15.29.21)

तथा तेषूपविष्टेषु समाजग्मुर्महर्षयः । शतयूपप्रभृतयः कुरुक्षेत्रनिवासिनः ॥

tathā teṣūpaviṣṭeṣu samājagmurmaharṣayaḥ | śatayūpaprabhṛtayaḥ kurukṣetranivāsinaḥ

While they sat thus, great sages came, led by Shatayupa, dwellers of Kurukshetra.

Verse 22 (15.29.22)

व्यासश्च भगवान्विप्रो देवर्षिगणसेवितः । वृतः शिष्यैर्महातेजा दर्शयामास पार्थिवम् ॥

vyāsaśca bhagavānvipro devarṣigaṇasevitaḥ | vṛtaḥ śiṣyairmahātejā darśayāmāsa pārthivam

And the venerable Vyasa, the brahmin, attended by hosts of divine sages and surrounded by disciples, of great splendour, appeared before the king.

Note on the text: Recension variant: the critical edition (15.34.22) reads देवर्षिगणपूजितः and दर्शयामास तं नृपम्.

Verse 23 (15.29.23)

ततः स राजा कौरव्यः कुन्तीपुत्रश्च धर्मराट् । भीमसेनादयश्चैव प्रत्युत्थायाभ्यवादयन् ॥

tataḥ sa rājā kauravyaḥ kuntīputraśca dharmarāṭ | bhīmasenādayaścaiva pratyutthāyābhyavādayan

Then the Kaurava king, Kunti's son Dharmaraja, and Bhimasena and the others rose and saluted him.

Note on the text: Recension variant: the critical edition (15.34.23) reads कुन्तीपुत्रश्च वीर्यवान् and समुत्थायाभ्यपूजयन्.

Verse 24 (15.29.24)

समागतस्ततो व्यासः शतयूपादिभिर्वृतः । धृतराष्ट्रं महीपालमास्यतामित्यभाषत ॥

samāgatastato vyāsaḥ śatayūpādibhirvṛtaḥ | dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahīpālamāsyatāmityabhāṣata

Vyasa, having arrived with Shatayupa and the others around him, said to King Dhritarashtra, the protector of the earth, "Be seated."

Verse 25 (15.29.25)

वरं तु विष्टरं कौश्यं कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तरम् । प्रतिपेदे तदा व्यासस्तदर्थमुपकल्पितम् ॥

varaṃ tu viṣṭaraṃ kauśyaṃ kṛṣṇājinakuśottaram | pratipede tadā vyāsastadarthamupakalpitam

Vyasa took the choice seat of kusha grass, spread over with black antelope skin and kusha, prepared for him.

Verse 26 (15.29.26)

ते च सर्वे द्विजश्रेष्ठा विष्टरेषु समन्ततः । द्वैपायनाभ्यनुज्ञाता निषेदुर्विपुलौजसः ॥

te ca sarve dvijaśreṣṭhā viṣṭareṣu samantataḥ | dvaipāyanābhyanujñātā niṣedurvipulaujasaḥ

And all those best of brahmins, of vast splendour, sat down all around on their seats, with Dvaipayana's leave.