The Pandavas Retire Timely

Verse 1 (bhagavata.1.15.1)

सूत उवाच एवं कृष्णसखः कृष्णो भ्रात्रा राज्ञा विकल्पितः । नानाशङ्कास्पदं रूपं कृष्णविश्लेषकर्शितः ॥ १ ॥

sūta uvāca evaṁ kṛṣṇa-sakhaḥ kṛṣṇo bhrātrā rājñā vikalpitaḥ nānā-śaṅkāspadaṁ rūpaṁ kṛṣṇa-viśleṣa-karśitaḥ

Suta Gosvami said: Thus Arjuna, Krishna's own dear friend, worn down by grief at his separation from Krishna, appeared so changed that his elder brother the king wondered anxiously, reading many meanings into it.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.1.15.2)

शोकेन शुष्यद्वदनहृत्सरोजो हतप्रभः । विभुं तमेवानुस्मरन्नाशक्नोत्प्रतिभाषितुम् ॥ २ ॥

śokena śuṣyad-vadana- hṛt-sarojo hata-prabhaḥ vibhuṁ tam evānusmaran nāśaknot pratibhāṣitum

Grief had dried up his face and his lotus-like heart, and all his radiance was lost; remembering the all-pervading Lord again and again, he was unable even to speak in reply.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.1.15.3)

कृच्छ्रेण संस्तभ्य शुचः पाणिनामृज्य नेत्रयोः । परोक्षेण समुन्नद्धप्रणयौत्कण्ठ्यकातरः ॥ ३ ॥

kṛcchreṇa saṁstabhya śucaḥ pāṇināmṛjya netrayoḥ parokṣeṇa samunnaddha- praṇayautkaṇṭhya-kātaraḥ

With great effort he checked his tears and wiped his eyes with his own hands, distressed by the eagerness of a love grown all the more intense now that its object was out of sight.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.1.15.4)

सख्यं मैत्रीं सौहृदं च सारथ्यादिषु संस्मरन् । नृपमग्रजमित्याह बाष्पगद्गदया गिरा ॥ ४ ॥

sakhyaṁ maitrīṁ sauhṛdaṁ ca sārathyādiṣu saṁsmaran nṛpam agrajam ity āha bāṣpa-gadgadayā girā

Remembering their friendship, their affection, their intimacy, and how Krishna had once driven his chariot, Arjuna addressed the king, his elder brother, in a voice choked with tears.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.1.15.5)

अर्जुन उवाच वञ्चितोऽहं महाराज हरिणा बन्धुरूपिणा । येन मेऽपहृतं तेजो देवविस्मापनं महत् ॥ ५ ॥

arjuna uvāca vañcito ’haṁ mahā-rāja hariṇā bandhu-rūpiṇā yena me ’pahṛtaṁ tejo deva-vismāpanaṁ mahat

Arjuna said: O great king, Hari has deserted me, He who came to me in the guise of an intimate friend. By His leaving, my extraordinary power, which used to astonish even the gods, has been taken from me.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.1.15.6)

यस्य क्षणवियोगेन लोको ह्यप्रियदर्शनः । उक्थेन रहितो ह्येष मृतकः प्रोच्यते यथा ॥ ६ ॥

yasya kṣaṇa-viyogena loko hy apriya-darśanaḥ ukthena rahito hy eṣa mṛtakaḥ procyate yathā

He whose separation, even for a moment, makes the whole world appear unpleasant to the eye — as a body without life is called merely a corpse — that same Lord I have now lost.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.1.15.7)

यत्संश्रयाद् द्रुपदगेहमुपागतानां राज्ञां स्वयंवरमुखे स्मरदुर्मदानाम् । तेजो हृतं खलु मयाभिहतश्च मत्स्यः सज्जीकृतेन धनुषाधिगता च कृष्णा ॥ ७ ॥

yat-saṁśrayād drupada-geham upāgatānāṁ rājñāṁ svayaṁvara-mukhe smara-durmadānām tejo hṛtaṁ khalu mayābhihataś ca matsyaḥ sajjīkṛtena dhanuṣādhigatā ca kṛṣṇā

Only through His shelter was I able, at King Drupada's palace, to overpower all the kings gathered there for the princess's svayamvara, each maddened with desire; stringing my bow, I struck the fish target and thereby won Krishna [Draupadi].

Verse 8 (bhagavata.1.15.8)

यत्सन्निधावहमु खांडवमग्नयेऽदा- मिन्द्रं च सामरगणं तरसा विजित्य । लब्धा सभा मयकृताद्भुतशिल्पमाया दिग्भ्योऽहरन्नृपतयो बलिमध्वरे ते ॥ ८ ॥

yat-sannidhāv aham u khāṇḍavam agnaye ’dām indraṁ ca sāmara-gaṇaṁ tarasā vijitya labdhā sabhā maya-kṛtādbhuta-śilpa-māyā digbhyo ’haran nṛpatayo balim adhvare te

In His presence I gave the Khandava forest to the fire-god, swiftly conquering Indra and the host of demigods; and I gained the assembly-hall of wondrous craftsmanship built by Maya, to which kings brought tribute from every quarter for your sacrifice.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.1.15.9)

यत्तेजसा नृपशिरोऽङ्घ्रिमहन्मखार्थम् आर्योऽनुजस्तव गजायुतसत्त्ववीर्यः । तेनाहृताः प्रमथनाथमखाय भूपा यन्मोचितास्तदनयन्बलिमध्वरे ते ॥ ९ ॥

yat-tejasā nṛpa-śiro-’ṅghrim ahan makhārtham āryo ’nujas tava gajāyuta-sattva-vīryaḥ tenāhṛtāḥ pramatha-nātha-makhāya bhūpā yan-mocitās tad-anayan balim adhvare te

By His power your noble younger brother Bhima, whose strength equalled ten thousand elephants, slew Jarasandha, at whose feet many kings bowed, for the sake of the sacrifice; the monarchs Jarasandha had seized for his offering to the lord of ghosts were thus set free, and they in turn brought tribute to your sacrifice.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.1.15.10)

पत्न्यास्तवाधिमखक्लृप्तमहाभिषेक- श्लाघिष्ठचारुकबरं कितवैः सभायाम् । स्पृष्टं विकीर्य पदयोः पतिताश्रुमुख्या यस्तत्स्त्रियोऽकृतहतेशविमुक्तकेशाः ॥ १० ॥

patnyās tavādhimakha-kḷpta-mahābhiṣeka- ślāghiṣṭha-cāru-kabaraṁ kitavaiḥ sabhāyām spṛṣṭaṁ vikīrya padayoḥ patitāśru-mukhyā yas tat-striyo ’kṛta-hateśa-vimukta-keśāḥ

When the gamblers in that assembly dared touch and dishevel the beautifully dressed, sanctified hair of your queen, hair adorned for the great sacrifice, and she fell at His feet with tears in her eyes, it was He alone who, in turn, loosened the hair of those very miscreants' wives, widowing them.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.1.15.11)

यो नो जुगोप वन एत्य दुरन्तकृच्छ्राद् दुर्वाससोऽरिरचितादयुताग्रभुग् यः । शाकान्नशिष्टमुपयुज्य यतस्त्रिलोकीं तृप्ताममंस्त सलिले विनिमग्नसङ्घः ॥ ११ ॥

yo no jugopa vana etya duranta-kṛcchrād durvāsaso ’ri-racitād ayutāgra-bhug yaḥ śākānna-śiṣṭam upayujya yatas tri-lokīṁ tṛptām amaṁsta salile vinimagna-saṅghaḥ

He who protected us in the forest, in the grave danger our enemies contrived through Durvasa Muni — who eats ahead of ten thousand disciples — by accepting the last remains of a simple meal of greens and rice, satisfied the three worlds, so that even the sages bathing in the river felt themselves fully fed.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.1.15.12)

यत्तेजसाथ भगवान् युधि शूलपाणि- र्विस्मापितः सगिरिजोऽस्त्रमदान्निजं मे । अन्येऽपि चाहममुनैव कलेवरेण प्राप्तो महेन्द्रभवने महदासनार्धम् ॥ १२ ॥

yat-tejasātha bhagavān yudhi śūla-pāṇir vismāpitaḥ sagirijo ’stram adān nijaṁ me anye ’pi cāham amunaiva kalevareṇa prāpto mahendra-bhavane mahad-āsanārdham

By His power, in that battle, Lord Shiva himself, together with Parvati, was astonished, and he awarded me his own celestial weapon; other gods too gave me theirs, and in this same body I was given a place beside the great throne in Indra's abode.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.1.15.13)

तत्रैव मे विहरतो भुजदण्डयुग्मं गाण्डीवलक्षणमरातिवधाय देवाः । सेन्द्राः श्रिता यदनुभावितमाजमीढ तेनाहमद्य मुषितः पुरुषेण भूम्ना ॥ १३ ॥

tatraiva me viharato bhuja-daṇḍa-yugmaṁ gāṇḍīva-lakṣaṇam arāti-vadhāya devāḥ sendrāḥ śritā yad-anubhāvitam ājamīḍha tenāham adya muṣitaḥ puruṣeṇa bhūmnā

While I stayed there as a guest, O descendant of Ajamidha, the demigods with Indra took shelter of these very arms, marked by the Gandiva bow, to slay the demon Nivatakavacha — a power that was His gift. Now that same supreme Person has left me, and I am bereft.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.1.15.14)

यद्बान्धवः कुरुबलाब्धिमनन्तपार- मेको रथेन ततरेऽहमतीर्यसत्त्वम् । प्रत्याहृतं बहु धनं च मया परेषां तेजास्पदं मणिमयं च हृतं शिरोभ्यः ॥ १४ ॥

yad-bāndhavaḥ kuru-balābdhim ananta-pāram eko rathena tatare ’ham atīrya-sattvam pratyāhṛtaṁ bahu dhanaṁ ca mayā pareṣāṁ tejās-padaṁ maṇimayaṁ ca hṛtaṁ śirobhyaḥ

Only by His friendship was I able, alone in my chariot, to cross that boundless, invincible ocean of the Kaurava army's strength; through Him I recovered great wealth and seized from the heads of my enemies their jewel-studded helmets, radiant with splendor.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.1.15.15)

यो भीष्मकर्णगुरुशल्यचमूष्वदभ्र- राजन्यवर्यरथमण्डलमण्डितासु । अग्रेचरो मम विभो रथयूथपाना- मायुर्मनांसि च दृशा सह ओज आर्च्छत् ॥ १५ ॥

yo bhīṣma-karṇa-guru-śalya-camūṣv adabhra- rājanya-varya-ratha-maṇḍala-maṇḍitāsu agrecaro mama vibho ratha-yūthapānām āyur manāṁsi ca dṛśā saha oja ārcchat

O mighty king, going before me, He alone withdrew, by His mere glance, the life-span, the courage, and the strength of all the great chariot-warriors ranged in the armies of Bhishma, Karna, Drona and Shalya, armies adorned with countless royal chariots.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.1.15.16)

यद्दोःषु मा प्रणिहितं गुरुभीष्मकर्ण- नप्तृत्रिगर्तशल्यसैन्धवबाह्लिकाद्यैः । अस्त्राण्यमोघमहिमानि निरूपितानि नोपस्पृशुर्नृहरिदासमिवासुराणि ॥ १६ ॥

yad-doḥṣu mā praṇihitaṁ guru-bhīṣma-karṇa- naptṛ-trigarta-śalya-saindhava-bāhlikādyaiḥ astrāṇy amogha-mahimāni nirūpitāni nopaspṛśur nṛhari-dāsam ivāsurāṇi

When Drona, Bhishma, Karna, Bhurishrava, Sushrama, Shalya, Jayadratha, Bahlika and others aimed their invincible and most potent weapons at me, none could so much as touch me, by His grace — just as the weapons hurled by demons could not touch Prahlada, the devotee of Lord Nrisimha.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.1.15.17)

सौत्ये वृतः कुमतिनात्मद ईश्वरो मे यत्पादपद्ममभवाय भजन्ति भव्याः । मां श्रान्तवाहमरयो रथिनो भुविष्ठं न प्राहरन् यदनुभावनिरस्तचित्ताः ॥ १७ ॥

sautye vṛtaḥ kumatinātmada īśvaro me yat-pāda-padmam abhavāya bhajanti bhavyāḥ māṁ śrānta-vāham arayo rathino bhuvi-ṣṭhaṁ na prāharan yad-anubhāva-nirasta-cittāḥ

In my folly I engaged as mere charioteer that very Lord whose lotus feet the wise worship for freedom from rebirth. And it was by His influence, robbing my enemies' minds of their resolve, that those great chariot-warriors did not strike me down as I stood on the ground with my horses exhausted.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.1.15.18)

नर्माण्युदाररुचिरस्मितशोभितानि हे पार्थ हेऽर्जुन सखे कुरुनन्दनेति । सञ्जल्पितानि नरदेव हृदिस्पृशानि स्मर्तुर्लुठन्ति हृदयं मम माधवस्य ॥ १८ ॥

narmāṇy udāra-rucira-smita-śobhitāni he pārtha he ’rjuna sakhe kuru-nandaneti sañjalpitāni nara-deva hṛdi-spṛśāni smartur luṭhanti hṛdayaṁ mama mādhavasya

O King, His playful jesting, lit by open and charming smiles, His words to me — 'O son of Pritha, O Arjuna, my friend, O descendant of Kuru' — come back to touch my heart whenever I recall them, and now they overwhelm the heart of one who grieves for Madhava.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.1.15.19)

शय्यासनाटनविकत्थनभोजनादि ष्वैक्याद्वयस्य ऋतवानिति विप्रलब्धः । सख्युः सखेव पितृवत्तनयस्य सर्वं सेहे महान्महितया कुमतेरघं मे ॥ १९ ॥

śayyāsanāṭana-vikatthana-bhojanādiṣv aikyād vayasya ṛtavān iti vipralabdhaḥ sakhyuḥ sakheva pitṛvat tanayasya sarvaṁ sehe mahān mahitayā kumater aghaṁ me

Sharing one bed, one seat, our walks, our boasts and our meals, and thinking Him only my equal companion, I would sometimes mock Him, saying, 'How truthful you are, my friend!' Yet great as He was, He bore with all these offenses of my foolish mind, exactly as a friend forgives a friend, or a father his own child.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.1.15.20)

सोऽहं नृपेन्द्र रहितः पुरुषोत्तमेन सख्या प्रियेण सुहृदा हृदयेन शून्यः । अध्वन्युरुक्रमपरिग्रहमङ्ग रक्षन् गोपैरसद्भिरबलेव विनिर्जितोऽस्मि ॥ २० ॥

so ’haṁ nṛpendra rahitaḥ puruṣottamena sakhyā priyeṇa suhṛdā hṛdayena śūnyaḥ adhvany urukrama-parigraham aṅga rakṣan gopair asadbhir abaleva vinirjito ’smi

O lord of men, thus I stand, deprived of that dearest friend and well-wisher, the Supreme Person Himself, my heart now hollow. And while guarding the wives of the all-powerful Krishna along the road, I, like a helpless woman, have been overpowered by wicked cowherds.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.1.15.21)

तद्वै धनुस्त इषवः स रथो हयास्ते सोऽहं रथी नृपतयो यत आनमन्ति । सर्वं क्षणेन तदभूदसदीशरिक्तं भस्मन्हुतं कुहकराद्धमिवोप्तमूष्याम् ॥ २१ ॥

tad vai dhanus ta iṣavaḥ sa ratho hayās te so ’haṁ rathī nṛpatayo yata ānamanti sarvaṁ kṣaṇena tad abhūd asad īśa-riktaṁ bhasman hutaṁ kuhaka-rāddham ivoptam ūṣyām

The same bow is mine, the same arrows, the same chariot and the same horses, and I am that same Arjuna before whom kings once bowed — yet in a moment, robbed of the Lord, all of it has turned as useless as clarified butter poured on ashes, wealth conjured by a magician's trick, or seed sown on barren ground.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.1.15.22)

राजंस्त्वयानुपृष्टानां सुहृदां नः सुहृत्पुरे । विप्रशापविमूढानां निघ्नतां मुष्टिभिर्मिथः ॥ २२ ॥

rājaṁs tvayānupṛṣṭānāṁ suhṛdāṁ naḥ suhṛt-pure vipra-śāpa-vimūḍhānāṁ nighnatāṁ muṣṭibhir mithaḥ

O King, since you have asked about our friends and kinsmen in that beloved city of ours [Dvaraka] — bewildered by a brahmana's curse, they fell to striking one another with their fists.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.1.15.23)

वारुणीं मदिरां पीत्वा मदोन्मथितचेतसाम् । अजानतामिवान्योन्यं चतुःपञ्चावशेषिताः ॥ २३ ॥

vāruṇīṁ madirāṁ pītvā madonmathita-cetasām ajānatām ivānyonyaṁ catuḥ-pañcāvaśeṣitāḥ

Having drunk the intoxicating Varuni wine, their minds crazed with drunkenness, not even recognizing one another, only four or five of them now remain.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.1.15.24)

प्रायेणैतद् भगवत ईश्वरस्य विचेष्टितम् । मिथो निघ्नन्ति भूतानि भावयन्ति च यन्मिथः ॥ २४ ॥

prāyeṇaitad bhagavata īśvarasya viceṣṭitam mitho nighnanti bhūtāni bhāvayanti ca yan mithaḥ

This indeed is mostly the doing of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's own will — sometimes living beings destroy one another, and at other times they protect one another.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.1.15.25)

जलौकसां जले यद्वन्महान्तोऽदन्त्यणीयसः । दुर्बलान्बलिनो राजन्महान्तो बलिनो मिथः ॥ २५ ॥

jalaukasāṁ jale yadvan mahānto ’danty aṇīyasaḥ durbalān balino rājan mahānto balino mithaḥ

As in water the larger aquatic creatures devour the smaller, O King, so the strong devour the weak, and among the strong themselves, the mightier devour the mightier still.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.1.15.26)

एवं बलिष्ठैर्यदुभिर्महद्भिरितरान् विभुः । यदून्यदुभिरन्योन्यं भूभारान् सञ्जहार ह ॥ २६ ॥

evaṁ baliṣṭhair yadubhir mahadbhir itarān vibhuḥ yadūn yadubhir anyonyaṁ bhū-bhārān sañjahāra ha

Thus the all-pervading Lord, through the mightiest among the Yadus, had the lesser Yadus destroy one another, and so relieved the earth of her burden.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.1.15.27)

देशकालार्थयुक्तानि हृत्तापोपशमानि च । हरन्ति स्मरतश्चित्तं गोविन्दाभिहितानि मे ॥ २७ ॥

deśa-kālārtha-yuktāni hṛt-tāpopaśamāni ca haranti smarataś cittaṁ govindābhihitāni me

The words spoken to me by Govinda, fitted to time and place and full of meaning, which soothe the burning of the heart, now draw away my mind whenever I remember them.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.1.15.28)

सूत उवाच एवं चिन्तयतो जिष्णोः कृष्णपादसरोरुहम् । सौहार्देनातिगाढेन शान्तासीद्विमला मतिः ॥ २८ ॥

sūta uvāca evaṁ cintayato jiṣṇoḥ kṛṣṇa-pāda-saroruham sauhārdenātigāḍhena śāntāsīd vimalā matiḥ

Suta said: As Arjuna thus meditated on the lotus feet of Krishna, his mind, through their deep and abiding friendship, grew peaceful and free from all impurity.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.1.15.29)

वासुदेवाङ्घ्र्यनुध्यानपरिबृंहितरंहसा । भक्त्या निर्मथिताशेषकषायधिषणोऽर्जुनः ॥ २९ ॥

vāsudevāṅghry-anudhyāna- paribṛṁhita-raṁhasā bhaktyā nirmathitāśeṣa- kaṣāya-dhiṣaṇo ’rjunaḥ

By his devotion, ever expanding through constant meditation on the feet of Vasudeva, Arjuna's mind was purged entirely of its remaining impurities.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.1.15.30)

गीतं भगवता ज्ञानं यत् तत् सङ्ग्राममूर्धनि । कालकर्मतमोरुद्धं पुनरध्यगमत् प्रभुः ॥ ३० ॥

gītaṁ bhagavatā jñānaṁ yat tat saṅgrāma-mūrdhani kāla-karma-tamo-ruddhaṁ punar adhyagamat prabhuḥ

The knowledge that the Lord had spoken to him at the head of the battlefield, which had become obscured by the darkness of time and action, that same knowledge Arjuna, master of himself once more, now recovered.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.1.15.31)

विशोको ब्रह्मसम्पत्त्या सञ्छिन्नद्वैतसंशयः । लीनप्रकृतिनैर्गुण्यादलिङ्गत्वादसम्भवः ॥ ३१ ॥

viśoko brahma-sampattyā sañchinna-dvaita-saṁśayaḥ līna-prakṛti-nairguṇyād aliṅgatvād asambhavaḥ

Freed from grief through possessing spiritual wealth, his doubts of duality entirely cut away, merged in the quality-free nature of the Supreme and formless, he was beyond the very possibility of rebirth.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.1.15.32)

निशम्य भगवन्मार्गं संस्थां यदुकुलस्य च । स्वःपथाय मतिं चक्रे निभृतात्मा युधिष्ठिरः ॥ ३२ ॥

niśamya bhagavan-mārgaṁ saṁsthāṁ yadu-kulasya ca svaḥ-pathāya matiṁ cakre nibhṛtātmā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Hearing of the Lord's departure by His own chosen path, and of the end approaching for the Yadu dynasty, King Yudhishthira, deeply composed within himself, resolved to set out on the path to the celestial world.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.1.15.33)

पृथाप्यनुश्रुत्य धनञ्जयोदितं नाशं यदूनां भगवद्गतिं च ताम् । एकान्तभक्त्या भगवत्यधोक्षजे निवेशितात्मोपरराम संसृतेः ॥ ३३ ॥

pṛthāpy anuśrutya dhanañjayoditaṁ nāśaṁ yadūnāṁ bhagavad-gatiṁ ca tām ekānta-bhaktyā bhagavaty adhokṣaje niveśitātmopararāma saṁsṛteḥ

Kunti too, hearing from Arjuna of the destruction of the Yadus and of the Lord's own departure, fixed her mind with single-pointed devotion upon the transcendent Personality of Godhead, and thus was freed from the cycle of material existence.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.1.15.34)

ययाहरद् भुवो भारं तां तनुं विजहावजः । कण्टकं कण्टकेनेव द्वयं चापीशितुः समम् ॥ ३४ ॥

yayāharad bhuvo bhāraṁ tāṁ tanuṁ vijahāv ajaḥ kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakeneva dvayaṁ cāpīśituḥ samam

The unborn Lord, by that same means, relieved the earth of her burden and relinquished that body, as one thorn is removed by another — though to Him, the controller, both acts are equally the same.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.1.15.35)

यथा मत्स्यादिरूपाणि धत्ते जह्याद् यथा नटः । भूभारः क्षपितो येन जहौ तच्च कलेवरम् ॥ ३५ ॥

yathā matsyādi-rūpāṇi dhatte jahyād yathā naṭaḥ bhū-bhāraḥ kṣapito yena jahau tac ca kalevaram

Just as He assumes forms such as the fish incarnation and later relinquishes them, like an actor, so too the body by which He removed the earth's burden — that very body He now set aside.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.1.15.36)

यदा मुकुन्दो भगवानिमां महीं जहौ स्वतन्वा श्रवणीयसत्कथः । तदाहरेवाप्रतिबुद्धचेतसा- मभद्रहेतुः कलिरन्ववर्तत ॥ ३६ ॥

yadā mukundo bhagavān imāṁ mahīṁ jahau sva-tanvā śravaṇīya-sat-kathaḥ tadāhar evāpratibuddha-cetasām abhadra-hetuḥ kalir anvavartata

When the Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, whose accounts are ever worthy of hearing, left this earth in that very body of His, from that day onward Kali — bringer of all misfortune — began fully to prevail over those whose minds remained undeveloped.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.1.15.37)

युधिष्ठिरस्तत्परिसर्पणं बुधः पुरे च राष्ट्रे च गृहे तथात्मनि । विभाव्य लोभानृतजिह्महिंसना- द्यधर्मचक्रं गमनाय पर्यधात् ॥ ३७ ॥

yudhiṣṭhiras tat parisarpaṇaṁ budhaḥ pure ca rāṣṭre ca gṛhe tathātmani vibhāvya lobhānṛta-jihma-hiṁsanādy- adharma-cakraṁ gamanāya paryadhāt

Yudhishthira, being wise, perceiving that vicious circle of irreligion — greed, falsehood, deceit and violence — spreading through the capital, the kingdom, the household and even within himself, prepared himself to depart.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.1.15.38)

स्वराट् पौत्रं विनयिनमात्मनः सुसमं गुणैः । तोयनीव्याः पतिं भूमेरभ्यषिञ्चद्गजाह्वये ॥ ३८ ॥

sva-rāṭ pautraṁ vinayinam ātmanaḥ susamaṁ guṇaiḥ toya-nīvyāḥ patiṁ bhūmer abhyaṣiñcad gajāhvaye

The emperor enthroned, at Hastinapura, his grandson [Parikshit] — well trained and equal to himself in virtues — as lord of all the land bordered by the seas.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.1.15.39)

मथुरायां तथा वज्रं शूरसेनपतिं ततः । प्राजापत्यां निरूप्येष्टिमग्नीनपिबदीश्वरः ॥ ३९ ॥

mathurāyāṁ tathā vajraṁ śūrasena-patiṁ tataḥ prājāpatyāṁ nirūpyeṣṭim agnīn apibad īśvaraḥ

Then he installed Vajra as king of the Shurasenas at Mathura; and thereafter, capable king that he was, having resolved upon the Prajapatya sacrifice, he took the sacred fires within himself.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.1.15.40)

विसृज्य तत्र तत् सर्वं दुकूलवलयादिकम् । निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः सञ्छिन्नाशेषबन्धनः ॥ ४० ॥

visṛjya tatra tat sarvaṁ dukūla-valayādikam nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sañchinnāśeṣa-bandhanaḥ

There, relinquishing all those things — his fine garments, his bracelets and the rest — free from all sense of possession and false ego, he cut away every remaining bond.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.1.15.41)

वाचं जुहाव मनसि तत्प्राण इतरे च तम् । मृत्यावपानं सोत्सर्गं तं पञ्चत्वे ह्यजोहवीत् ॥ ४१ ॥

vācaṁ juhāva manasi tat prāṇa itare ca tam mṛtyāv apānaṁ sotsargaṁ taṁ pañcatve hy ajohavīt

He merged speech into the mind, the mind into the life-breath, and the other senses too into that; then, at death, he merged the outgoing breath, with full surrender, into the body composed of the five elements.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.1.15.42)

त्रित्वे हुत्वा च पञ्चत्वं तच्चैकत्वेऽजुहोन्मुनिः । सर्वमात्मन्यजुहवीद्ब्रह्मण्यात्मानमव्यये ॥ ४२ ॥

tritve hutvā ca pañcatvaṁ tac caikatve ’juhon muniḥ sarvam ātmany ajuhavīd brahmaṇy ātmānam avyaye

The sage then merged the five elements into the three material qualities, those three into the one undifferentiated nescience, and finally offered his very self, together with everything, into the inexhaustible Absolute, Brahman.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.1.15.43)

चीरवासा निराहारो बद्धवाङ्मुक्तमूर्धजः । दर्शयन्नात्मनो रूपं जडोन्मत्तपिशाचवत् । अनवेक्षमाणो निरगादशृण्वन्बधिरो यथा ॥ ४३ ॥

cīra-vāsā nirāhāro baddha-vāṅ mukta-mūrdhajaḥ darśayann ātmano rūpaṁ jaḍonmatta-piśācavat anavekṣamāṇo niragād aśṛṇvan badhiro yathā

Clad in bark-cloth, taking no food, his speech restrained, his hair left unbound, showing himself as if inert, mad or possessed, he went forth without a backward glance, hearing nothing, like one deaf.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.1.15.44)

उदीचीं प्रविवेशाशां गतपूर्वां महात्मभिः । हृदि ब्रह्म परं ध्यायन्नावर्तेत यतो गतः ॥ ४४ ॥

udīcīṁ praviveśāśāṁ gata-pūrvāṁ mahātmabhiḥ hṛdi brahma paraṁ dhyāyan nāvarteta yato gataḥ

He set out toward the north, along the path once trodden by the great souls before him, his heart fixed in meditation on the Supreme Brahman, resolved never to turn back from wherever that path might lead.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.1.15.45)

सर्वे तमनुनिर्जग्मुर्भ्रातरः कृतनिश्चयाः । कलिनाधर्ममित्रेण दृष्ट्वा स्पृष्टाः प्रजा भुवि ॥ ४५ ॥

sarve tam anunirjagmur bhrātaraḥ kṛta-niścayāḥ kalinādharma-mitreṇa dṛṣṭvā spṛṣṭāḥ prajā bhuvi

All his younger brothers, having likewise resolved, followed after him, seeing that the citizens of the earth had already been touched by Kali, the friend of irreligion.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.1.15.46)

ते साधुकृतसर्वार्था ज्ञात्वात्यन्तिकमात्मनः । मनसा धारयामासुर्वैकुण्ठचरणाम्बुजम् ॥ ४६ ॥

te sādhu-kṛta-sarvārthā jñātvātyantikam ātmanaḥ manasā dhārayām āsur vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam

Having accomplished, like true saints, everything worth accomplishing, and knowing well the ultimate good of the soul, they held fast within their minds to the lotus feet of the Lord of Vaikuntha.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.1.15.47)

तद्ध्यानोद्रिक्तया भक्त्या विशुद्धधिषणाः परे । तस्मिन् नारायणपदे एकान्तमतयो गतिम् ॥ ४७ ॥

tad-dhyānodriktayā bhaktyā viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ pare tasmin nārāyaṇa-pade ekānta-matayo gatim

Through devotion overflowing from that meditation, their intelligence wholly purified, minds fixed single-pointedly on the transcendent, they turned toward that state at the feet of Narayana —

Verse 48 (bhagavata.1.15.48)

अवापुर्दुरवापां ते असद्भिर्विषयात्मभिः । विधूतकल्मषा स्थानं विरजेनात्मनैव हि ॥ ४८ ॥

avāpur duravāpāṁ te asadbhir viṣayātmabhiḥ vidhūta-kalmaṣā sthānaṁ virajenātmanaiva hi

— and attained that abode, so hard to reach for materialists absorbed in sense-objects; washed clean of all impurity, they reached it in that very same body.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.1.15.49)

विदुरोऽपि परित्यज्य प्रभासे देहमात्मनः । कृष्णावेशेन तच्चित्तः पितृभिः स्वक्षयं ययौ ॥ ४९ ॥

viduro ’pi parityajya prabhāse deham ātmanaḥ kṛṣṇāveśena tac-cittaḥ pitṛbhiḥ sva-kṣayaṁ yayau

Vidura too, at Prabhasa, relinquished his body, his mind wholly absorbed in Krishna, and departed together with the Pitris to his own eternal abode.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.1.15.50)

द्रौपदी च तदाज्ञाय पतीनामनपेक्षताम् । वासुदेवे भगवति ह्येकान्तमतिराप तम् ॥ ५० ॥

draupadī ca tadājñāya patīnām anapekṣatām vāsudeve bhagavati hy ekānta-matir āpa tam

Draupadi too, understanding then that her husbands had grown indifferent to all else, fixed her mind exclusively upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, and attained that same destination.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.1.15.51)

यः श्रद्धयैतद् भगवत्प्रियाणां पाण्डोः सुतानामिति सम्प्रयाणम् । शृणोत्यलं स्वस्त्ययनं पवित्रं लब्ध्वा हरौ भक्तिमुपैति सिद्धिम् ॥ ५१ ॥

yaḥ śraddhayaitad bhagavat-priyāṇāṁ pāṇḍoḥ sutānām iti samprayāṇam śṛṇoty alaṁ svastyayanaṁ pavitraṁ labdhvā harau bhaktim upaiti siddhim

Whoever hears with faith this account of the departure of the sons of Pandu, so dear to the Lord, hears something wholly auspicious and purifying, and thereby attains devotion to Hari, the highest perfection.