Dhritarashtra Asks the People's Leave

Verse 1 (15.9.1)

एवमेतत्करिष्यामि यथाऽऽत्थ पृथिवीपते । भूयश्चैवानुशास्योऽहं भवता पार्थिवर्षभ ॥

evametatkariṣyāmi yathā''ttha pṛthivīpate | bhūyaścaivānuśāsyo'haṃ bhavatā pārthivarṣabha

I shall do just as you say, O lord of the earth; and you should instruct me again and again, best of kings.

Verse 2 (15.9.2)

भीष्मे स्वर्गमनुप्राप्तो गते च मधुसूदने । विदुरे संजये चैव कोऽन्यो मां वक्तुमर्हति ॥

bhīṣme svargamanuprāpto gate ca madhusūdane | vidure saṃjaye caiva ko'nyo māṃ vaktumarhati

Bhishma has gone to heaven and Madhusudana has departed; with Vidura and Sanjaya too, who else but you is fit to instruct me?

Verse 3 (15.9.3)

यत्तु मामनुशास्तीह भवानद्य हिते स्थितः । कर्तास्मि तन्महीपाल निर्वृतो भव पार्थिव ॥

yattu māmanuśāstīha bhavānadya hite sthitaḥ | kartāsmi tanmahīpāla nirvṛto bhava pārthiva

What you instruct me in today, standing as you do in my good, I shall carry out, O protector of the earth; be at ease, O king.

Verse 4 (15.9.4)

एवमुक्तः स राजर्षिर्धर्मराजेन धीमता । कौन्तेयं समनुज्ञातुमियेष भरतर्षभ ॥

evamuktaḥ sa rājarṣirdharmarājena dhīmatā | kaunteyaṃ samanujñātumiyeṣa bharatarṣabha

Addressed in this way by the wise Dharmaraja, that royal sage wished to give the son of Kunti leave to go, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 5 (15.9.5)

पुत्र विश्राम्यतां तावन्ममापि बलवाञ्श्रमः । इत्युक्त्वा प्राविशद्राजा गान्धार्या भवनं तदा ॥

putra viśrāmyatāṃ tāvanmamāpi balavāñśramaḥ | ityuktvā prāviśadrājā gāndhāryā bhavanaṃ tadā

'Child, rest for now; I too am greatly tired.' Saying this, the king then went into Gandhari's apartment.

Note on the text: The first half-line is Dhritarashtra's words to Yudhishthira and the rest is narration; the verse is kept whole under the narrator.

Verse 6 (15.9.6)

तमासनगतं देवी गान्धारी धर्मचारिणी । उवाच काले कालज्ञा प्रजापतिसमं पतिम् ॥

tamāsanagataṃ devī gāndhārī dharmacāriṇī | uvāca kāle kālajñā prajāpatisamaṃ patim

To him, seated there, the goddess-like Gandhari, devoted to dharma and wise in the right time, spoke at the proper moment, to her husband who was like Prajapati.

Verse 7 (15.9.7)

अनुज्ञातः स्वयं तेन व्यासेन त्वं महर्षिणा । युधिष्ठिरस्यानुमते कदाऽरण्यं गमिष्यसि ॥

anujñātaḥ svayaṃ tena vyāsena tvaṃ maharṣiṇā | yudhiṣṭhirasyānumate kadā'raṇyaṃ gamiṣyasi

You have been given leave by the great sage Vyasa himself; with Yudhishthira's consent, when will you go to the forest?

Note on the text: Corrected व्यासेनि → व्यासेन (misprint in Wikisource; stray ि; the instrumental व्यासेन, where the critical edition (15.13.7b) has व्यासेनापि). Speaker: the input carried वैशम्पायन; the verse is Gandhari's speech, introduced by the preceding verse (उवाच … पतिम्).

Verse 8 (15.9.8)

गान्धार्यहमनुज्ञातः स्वयं पित्रा महात्मना । युधिष्ठिरस्यानुमते गन्तास्मि नचिराद्वनम् ॥

gāndhāryahamanujñātaḥ svayaṃ pitrā mahātmanā | yudhiṣṭhirasyānumate gantāsmi nacirādvanam

Gandhari, I have been given leave by my father, the great-souled one, himself; with Yudhishthira's consent I shall go to the forest before long.

Verse 9 (15.9.9)

अहं हि तावत्सर्वेषां तेषां दुर्द्यूतदेविनाम् । पुत्राणां दातुमिच्छामि प्रेत्यभावानुगं वसु । सर्वप्रकृतिसान्निध्यं कारयित्वा स्ववेश्मनि ॥

ahaṃ hi tāvatsarveṣāṃ teṣāṃ durdyūtadevinām | putrāṇāṃ dātumicchāmi pretyabhāvānugaṃ vasu | sarvaprakṛtisānnidhyaṃ kārayitvā svaveśmani

For all those sons of mine, those gamblers at the evil dice, I wish to give wealth that will follow them into the next world, after assembling all the subjects in my own house.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वप्रकृतितिसान्निध्यं → सर्वप्रकृतिसान्निध्यं (misprint in Wikisource; doubled ति; the critical edition (15.13.9e) has सर्वप्रकृतिसांनिध्यं). CE 15.13.9 has two further star lines after this verse (15.13.9f*0028_01 and *0029_01) that Wikisource does not print.

Verse 10 (15.9.10)

इत्युक्त्वा धर्मराजाय प्रेषयामास वै तदा । स च तद्वचनात्सर्वं समानिन्ये महीपतिः ॥

ityuktvā dharmarājāya preṣayāmāsa vai tadā | sa ca tadvacanātsarvaṃ samāninye mahīpatiḥ

Having said this, the king sent word to Dharmaraja, and at his word that lord of the earth had everyone brought together.

Verse 11 (15.9.11)

ततः प्रतीतमनसो ब्राह्मणाः कुरुजाङ्गलाः । क्षत्रियाश्चैव वैश्याश्च शूद्राश्चैव समाययुः ॥

tataḥ pratītamanaso brāhmaṇāḥ kurujāṅgalāḥ | kṣatriyāścaiva vaiśyāśca śūdrāścaiva samāyayuḥ

Then, glad at heart, the Brahmins of Kurujangala assembled, and the Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras as well.

Note on the text: Parallel to CE 15.13.13 (CE reads शृण्वन्त्येकाग्रमनसो … समागताः, a recension variant); Wikisource gives it before the verses that correspond to CE 15.13.11-12.

Verse 12 (15.9.12)

ततो निष्क्रम्य नृपतिस्तस्मादन्तःपुरात्तदा । ददर्श तं जनं सर्वं सर्वाश्च प्रकृतीस्तथा ॥

tato niṣkramya nṛpatistasmādantaḥpurāttadā | dadarśa taṃ janaṃ sarvaṃ sarvāśca prakṛtīstathā

Then the king came out of the inner apartments and saw all those people, and all the subjects likewise.

Note on the text: Corrected न्तःकपुरात् → न्तःपुरात् (misprint in Wikisource; a stray क; the critical edition (15.13.11a) has अन्तःपुरात्). Corrected दद्दशे → ददर्श (misprint in Wikisource; not a Sanskrit form; the sense needs the active transitive perfect "saw", with तं जनं as object). Line 1 = CE 15.13.11a; line 2 is a variant of 15.13.11c (सर्वं सुहृज्जनं चैव सर्वाश्च प्रकृतीस्तथा).

Verse 13 (15.9.13)

समवेतांश्च तान्सर्वान्पौराञ्जानपदांस्तथा । तानागतानभिप्रेक्ष्य समस्तं च सुहृज्जनम् ॥

samavetāṃśca tānsarvānpaurāñjānapadāṃstathā | tānāgatānabhiprekṣya samastaṃ ca suhṛjjanam

Seeing all those who had gathered, the townspeople and the country people, and looking at the whole company of his well-wishers who had come,

Note on the text: Corrected सुहृञ्जनम् → सुहृज्जनम् (misprint in Wikisource; sandhi of सुहृद् + जन; the critical edition has सुहृज्जनम्). Line 1 = CE 15.13.11e; line 2 is the CE star line 15.13.11f*0030_01 (तान् आगतान् अभिप्रेक्ष्य समस्तं च सुहृज्जनम्), not in the CE's constituted text.

Verse 14 (15.9.14)

ब्राह्मणांश्च महीपाल नानादेशसमागतान् । उवाच मतिमान्राजा धृतराष्ट्रोऽम्बिकासुतः ॥

brāhmaṇāṃśca mahīpāla nānādeśasamāgatān | uvāca matimānrājā dhṛtarāṣṭro'mbikāsutaḥ

and the Brahmins who had come from many lands, O protector of the earth, the wise king Dhritarashtra, son of Ambika, spoke to them.

Verse 15 (15.9.15)

भवन्तः कुरुवश्चैव चिरकालं सहोषिताः । परस्परस्य सुहृदः परस्परहिते रताः ॥

bhavantaḥ kuruvaścaiva cirakālaṃ sahoṣitāḥ | parasparasya suhṛdaḥ parasparahite ratāḥ

You and the Kurus have lived together for a long time, friends to one another, intent on one another's good.

Note on the text: Speaker: the input carried वैशम्पायन from the heading above; the verse is Dhritarashtra's own speech (his address to the assembly, introduced as such in verse 14), so the speaker is धृतराष्ट्र.

Verse 16 (15.9.16)

यदिदानीमहं ब्रूयामस्मिन्काल उपस्थिते । तथा भवद्भिः कर्तव्यमविचार्य वचो मम ॥

yadidānīmahaṃ brūyāmasminkāla upasthite | tathā bhavadbhiḥ kartavyamavicārya vaco mama

What I am now about to say at this time, you must do at my word, without second thoughts.

Verse 17 (15.9.17)

अरण्यगमने बुद्धिर्गान्धारीसहितस्य मे । व्यासस्यानुमते राज्ञस्तथा कुन्तीसुतस्य मे ॥

araṇyagamane buddhirgāndhārīsahitasya me | vyāsasyānumate rājñastathā kuntīsutasya me

I have set my mind on going to the forest with Gandhari, with the approval of Vyasa and of the king, Kunti's son.

Note on the text: CE 15.13.16 is a three-line verse (a, c, e); this couplet is its lines 16a and 16c, and the next Wikisource verse takes 16e.

Verse 18 (15.9.18)

भवन्तोप्यनुजानन्तु मान्या वोऽभूद्विचारणा ॥

bhavantopyanujānantu mānyā vo'bhūdvicāraṇā

May you too give your leave; your considered judgement has always been honoured by me.

Note on the text: A single line, as printed. It corresponds to CE 15.13.16e (भवन्तोऽप्यनुजानन्तु मा वोऽन्या भूद् विचारणा); Wikisource's मान्या वोऽभूद्विचारणा is a recension variant and is kept as printed.

Verse 19 (15.9.19)

अस्माकं भवतां चैव येयं प्रीतिर्हि शाश्वती । न च साऽन्येषु देशेषु राज्ञामिति मतिर्मम ॥

asmākaṃ bhavatāṃ caiva yeyaṃ prītirhi śāśvatī | na ca sā'nyeṣu deśeṣu rājñāmiti matirmama

The affection that exists between us and you is everlasting; and I think kings have no such affection in other lands.

Verse 20 (15.9.20)

शान्तोस्मि वयसाऽनेन तथा पुत्रविनाकृतः । उपवासकृशश्चास्मि गान्धारीसहितोऽनघाः ॥

śāntosmi vayasā'nena tathā putravinākṛtaḥ | upavāsakṛśaścāsmi gāndhārīsahito'naghāḥ

I am at peace in this old age, bereft of my sons and wasted by fasting, together with Gandhari, O blameless ones.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads शान्तोऽस्मि (without the avagraha); the CE has श्रान्तोऽस्मि ("I am weary"). Kept as printed, a valid reading.

Verse 21 (15.9.21)

युधिष्ठिरगते राज्ये प्राप्तश्चास्मि सुखं महत् । मन्ये दुर्योधनैश्वर्याद्विशिष्टं बहुभिर्गुणैः ॥

yudhiṣṭhiragate rājye prāptaścāsmi sukhaṃ mahat | manye duryodhanaiśvaryādviśiṣṭaṃ bahubhirguṇaiḥ

Now that the kingdom is in Yudhishthira's hands, I have found great happiness; I think it better in many ways than Duryodhana's sovereignty.

Verse 22 (15.9.22)

मम चान्धस्य वृद्धस्य हतपुत्रस्य का गतिः । ऋते वनं महाभागास्तन्माऽनुज्ञातुमर्हथ ॥

mama cāndhasya vṛddhasya hataputrasya kā gatiḥ | ṛte vanaṃ mahābhāgāstanmā'nujñātumarhatha

For me, blind and old, with my sons slain, what refuge is there but the forest? So, O fortunate ones, you ought to give me leave.

Verse 23 (15.9.23)

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा सर्वे ते कुरुजाङ्गलाः । बाष्पसंदिग्धया वाचा रुरुदुर्भरतर्षभ ॥

tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā sarve te kurujāṅgalāḥ | bāṣpasaṃdigdhayā vācā rurudurbharatarṣabha

Hearing his words, all those people of Kurujangala wept, O best of the Bharatas, in voices choked with tears.

Note on the text: Corrected बाप्पसंदिग्धया → बाष्पसंदिग्धया (misprint in Wikisource; ष for प; the critical edition (15.13.21c) has बाष्पसंदिग्धया).

Verse 24 (15.9.24)

तानविब्रुवतः किञ्चित्सर्वाञ्शोकपरायणान् । पुनरेव महातेजा धृतराष्ट्रोऽब्रवीदिदम् ॥

tānavibruvataḥ kiñcitsarvāñśokaparāyaṇān | punareva mahātejā dhṛtarāṣṭro'bravīdidam

As they stood grief-stricken and said nothing, the greatly radiant Dhritarashtra spoke again, saying this.