Adhyaya 8

Verse 1

पम्प बछ। आर: अं अष्टमोड ध्याय: अर्जुन और व्यासजीकी बातचीत वैशम्पायन उवाच प्रविशन्नर्जुनो राजन्नाश्रमं सत्यवादिन: । ददर्शासीनमेकान्ते मुनिं सत्यवतीसुतम्‌

Vaiśampāyana said: O King, as Arjuna entered the hermitage of the truth-speaking sage, he saw the ascetic Vyāsa—son of Satyavatī—seated alone in seclusion.

Verse 2

स तमासाद्य धर्मज्ञमुपतस्थे महाव्रतम्‌ । अर्जुनोअस्मीति नामास्मै निवेद्याभ्यवदत्‌ तत:

Having reached that great-vowed sage, renowned for knowing dharma, Arjuna approached him with reverence. Identifying himself—“I am Arjuna”—he announced his name, bowed at his feet, and then stood respectfully nearby.

Verse 3

स्वागतं ते<$स्त्विति प्राह मुनि: सत्यवतीसुतः । आस्यतामिति होवाच प्रसन्नात्मा महामुनि:,उस समय प्रसन्नचित्त हुए महामुनि सत्यवती-नन्दन व्यासने अर्जुनसे कहा--“बेटा! तुम्हारा स्वागत है; आओ यहाँ बैठो”

Vaiśampāyana said: The sage, Satyavatī’s son (Vyāsa), serene in mind, addressed Arjuna: “Welcome to you. Please be seated.”

Verse 4

तमप्रतीतमनसं नि:श्वसन्तं पुन: पुन: । निर्विण्णमनसं दृष्ट्वा पार्थ व्यासो5ब्रवीदिदम्‌

Seeing him—his mind unconsoled, repeatedly heaving deep sighs, and inwardly despondent—Vyāsa addressed him, O Pārtha, with these words.

Verse 5

अर्जुनका मन अशान्त था। वे बारंबार लंबी साँस खींच रहे थे। उनका चित्त खिन्न एवं विरक्त हो चुका था। उन्हें इस अवस्थामें देखकर व्यासजीने पूछा-- ।।

Vaiśampāyana said: Seeing Arjuna distressed, Vyāsa questioned him: “Why are you so shaken and downcast? Have you been splashed with water from a pot used for washing nails, hair, and garments—an inauspicious touch? Or have you followed the funeral procession of one who died untimely? Or have you slain a brāhmaṇa?” Thus Vyāsa probes whether Arjuna’s agitation arises from ritual impurity, ominous contact, or a grave moral transgression.

Verse 6

'पार्थ! क्या तुमने नख, बाल अथवा अधोवस्त्र (धोती)-की कोर पड़ जानेसे अशुद्ध हुए घड़ेके जलसे स्नान कर लिया है? अथवा तुमने रजस्वला स्त्रीसे समागम या किसी ब्राह्मणका वध तो नहीं किया है? ।।

“O Pārtha, have you bathed with water from a vessel rendered impure—tainted by fallen nail-parings, hair, or the edge of a lower garment? Or have you had intercourse with a menstruating woman, or committed the killing of a brāhmaṇa? You appear as though defeated in battle, as if your fortune has departed. I do not recognize you in this altered state—what is this, O bull among the Bharatas?”

Verse 7

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत मौसलपर्वमें अर्जुनद्वारा वृष्णिवंशकी स्त्रियों और बालकोंका आनयनविषयक सातवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ

“If this is something I may hear, O Pārtha, you should tell it quickly. Have you perhaps been defeated in battle? You appear as though bereft of fortune and radiance. O best of the Bharatas, I have never known you to be defeated—so why are you in such a condition? O Pārtha, if it is fit for me to hear, tell me at once the cause of this sullenness and stain upon your spirit.” Then Arjuna began to reply: “He—radiant like a rain-cloud, auspicious, with large lotus-like eyes…”

Verse 8

(तद्वाक्यस्पर्शनालोकसुखं त्वमृतसंनिभम्‌ । संस्मृत्य देवदेवस्य प्रमुह्माम्यमृतात्मन: ।।

Arjuna said: Remembering again and again the nectar-like joy I once had—hearing the sweet words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, touching His sacred limbs, and beholding Him, the God of gods, whose very being is immortal—I lose my composure and fall into bewilderment. The recollection of that divine intimacy now intensifies my grief at His departure and the ruin that has befallen the Vṛṣṇis.

Verse 9

बभूव वीरान्तकर: प्रभासे लोमहर्षण: । ब्राह्मणोंके शापसे मौसलयुद्धमें वृष्णिवंशी वीरोंका विनाश हो गया। बड़े-बड़े वीरोंका अन्त कर देनेवाला वह रोमाज्चकारी संग्राम प्रभासक्षेत्रमें घटित हुआ था ।।

Arjuna said: “At Prabhāsa there occurred a hair-raising battle that brought even mighty heroes to their end. Because of the curse of the brāhmaṇas, the warriors of the Vṛṣṇi line were destroyed in the Mausala conflict. That awe-inspiring war—capable of finishing off great champions—took place in the sacred region of Prabhāsa. Those men were valiant, high-souled, lion-proud, and exceedingly strong.”

Verse 10

गदापरिघशक्तीनां सहा: परिघबाहव:

They bore heavy weapons—maces, iron clubs, and spears—standing together in force, their arms like massive clubs.

Verse 11

हतं पञ्चशतं तेषां सहस्नं बाहुशालिनाम्‌

Arjuna said: “Five hundred of them have been slain—indeed, a full thousand of those mighty-armed warriors.”

Verse 12

पुन: पुनर्न मृष्पयामि विनाशममितौजसाम्‌

Arjuna said: “Again and again I cannot bear the destruction of those of immeasurable prowess. The grief caused by the fall of such radiant heroes is, in any way, unbearable to me; time and again I am shaken by that sorrow. When I think of the glorious Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Yadu lineage departing to the other world, it seems to me as though the ocean had dried up, mountains had begun to tremble, the sky had split apart, and fire itself had turned cool. That even Śrī Kṛṣṇa, bearer of the Śārṅga bow, could have come under the power of death—this does not appear credible to me. I cannot accept it.”

Verse 13

चिन्तयानो यदूनां च कृष्णस्य च यशस्विन: । शोषणं सागरस्येव पर्वतस्येव चालनम्‌

Arjuna said: “As I keep reflecting on the Yādavas and on the glorious Kṛṣṇa, my mind reels as though the ocean were drying up and a mountain were being shaken. The very thought of their passing overwhelms me with grief, for it seems impossible that even Kṛṣṇa—renowned and mighty—could have come under the power of death.”

Verse 14

नभस: पतन चैव शैत्यमग्नेस्तथैव च । अश्रद्धेयमहं मन्ये विनाशं शार्ईधन्वचन:

Arjuna said: “That the sky should fall, and that fire should become cold—such impossibilities seem more believable to me than this report of destruction. I cannot accept the ruin of Śārṅgadhanvan (Śrī Kṛṣṇa, bearer of the Śārṅga bow). The very thought that the glorious Kṛṣṇa and the Yādavas have departed to the other world overwhelms me with grief and disbelief.”

Verse 15

न चेह स्थातुमिच्छामि लोके कृष्णविनाकृत: । इत: कष्टतरं चान्यच्छुणु तद्‌ वै तपोधन

Arjuna said: “I do not wish to remain in this world bereft of Krishna. Yet, O treasure of austerity, listen—another event has occurred that is even more painful than this.”

Verse 16

मनो मे दीर्यते येन चिन्तयानस्य वै मुहु: । पश्यतो वृष्णिदाराश्न मम ब्रह्मन्‌ सहस्रशः

Arjuna said: “My mind is torn apart as I keep thinking again and again. O Brahmin, before my very eyes the Vr̥ṣṇi clansmen and their women are being destroyed in their thousands.”

Verse 17

धनुरादाय तत्राहं नाशकं तस्य पूरणे

Taking up the bow there, I found myself unable to string it. In that moment, the very instrument that once answered my will revealed a sobering truth: strength and mastery do not remain forever, and when time turns, even the capable must accept their limits with humility.

Verse 18

अस्त्राणि मे प्रणष्टानि विविधानि महामुने

Arjuna said: “O great sage, my many kinds of weapons have been lost.” In this moment of aftermath, the line conveys a stark reversal: the famed warrior’s reliance on martial power is rendered futile, underscoring the ethical fragility of worldly strength when time and destiny turn against it.

Verse 19

शराशक्ष क्षयमापतन्ना: क्षणेनैव समन्तत: । महामुने! मेरा नाना प्रकारके अस्त्रोंका ज्ञान विलुप्त हो गया। मेरे सभी बाण सब ओर जाकर क्षणभरमें नष्ट हो गये ।। १८ $ ।। पुरुषश्चाप्रमेयात्मा शड्खचक्रगदाधर:

Arjuna said: “O great sage, in a single instant my arrows met with destruction on every side. The knowledge of my many kinds of weapons has vanished, and all my shafts, flying out in all directions, perished in a moment.”

Verse 20

चतुर्भुज:ः पीतवासा: श्याम: पद्मदलेक्षण: । यश्व याति पुरस्तान्मे रथस्य सुमहाद्मयुति:

Arjuna said: “He who goes before my chariot—four-armed, clad in yellow garments, dark-hued, lotus-eyed, and of exceedingly great radiance—(that divine one) leads the way.”

Verse 21

प्रदहन्‌ रिपुसैन्यानि न पश्याम्यहमच्युतम्‌ । जिनका स्वरूप अप्रमेय है

As the enemy armies were being consumed in flames, I no longer behold Acyuta. He—of immeasurable form, bearing conch, discus, and mace; four-armed; clad in yellow garments; dark-hued and beautiful; lotus-eyed and blazing with divine splendor—used to go before my chariot, reducing hostile forces to ashes. Now I cannot see that Lord, and bereft of his presence I sink into grief and dizziness, for it was by his power that victory became possible and my own arrows found their mark.

Verse 22

शरैगण्डीवनिर्मुक्तिरहं पश्चाच्च नाशयम्‌ | तमपश्यन्‌ विषीदामि घूर्णामीव च सत्तम

Arjuna said: “After he had already scorched the enemy hosts by his own radiance, I would then destroy those foes with arrows released from the Gāṇḍīva. Now, because I do not see him, I sink into grief; I feel as though I am reeling, O best of men.”

Verse 23

परिनिर्विण्णचेताश्न शान्तिं नोपलभेडपि च । (देवकीनन्दनं देवं वासुदेवमजं प्रभुम्‌ ।) विना जनार्दनं वीर नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे

Arjuna said: “My heart is overwhelmed with dispassion and grief, and I find no peace at all. Without Janārdana—the divine, unborn Lord Vāsudeva, the son of Devakī—I do not have the will to go on living, O hero.”

Verse 24

श्र॒ुत्वैव हि गतं विष्णुं ममापि मुमुहुर्दिश: । प्रणष्टज्ञातिवीर्यस्य शून्यस्य परिधावत:

Arjuna said: “Indeed, the moment I heard that Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) had departed, even the very quarters seemed to reel. Bereft of the strength that comes from one’s kinsmen, I ran about in emptiness—disoriented and undone.”

Verse 25

व्यास उवाच (देवांशा देवदेवेन सम्मतास्ते गता: सह । धर्मव्यवस्थारक्षार्थ देवेन समुपेक्षिता: ।।

Vyāsa said: “O son of Kuntī, those Yādavas were all portions of the gods. Approved by the God of gods, they came here together with him and departed together with him. Since their continued presence risked a breach in the boundaries of dharma, the Lord, for the protection of the established order, deliberately remained indifferent as they perished.”

Verse 26

विनष्टा: कुरुशार्टूल न तान्‌ शोचितुम्हसि । भवितव्यं तथा तच्च दिष्टमेतन्महात्मनाम्‌

Vyāsa said: “O tiger among the Kurus, you should not grieve for them. What has happened is exactly what was destined to happen; such was the ordained lot of those great-souled heroes. The mighty warriors of the Vṛṣṇi and Andhaka line were consumed and destroyed by the power of the brāhmaṇas’ curse; therefore, do not sink into sorrow for them.”

Verse 27

उपेक्षितं च कृष्णेन शक्तेनापि व्यपोहितुम्‌ । त्रैलोक्यमपि गोविन्द: कृत्स्नं स्थावरजड्रमम्‌

Vyāsa said: Even though Kṛṣṇa had the power to avert it, he deliberately let it be. Govinda could have warded off even the entire threefold world—indeed all that is fixed and inert—yet he chose not to intervene.

Verse 28

प्रसहेदन्‍्यथाकर्तु कुत: शापं महात्मनाम्‌ । यद्यपि भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्ण उनके संकटको टाल सकते थे तथापि उन्होंने इसकी उपेक्षा कर दी। श्रीकृष्ण तो सम्पूर्ण चराचर प्राणियोंसहित तीनों लोकोंकी गतिको पलट सकते हैं, फिर उन महामनस्वी वीरोंको प्राप्त हुए शापको पलट देना उनके लिये कौन बड़ी बात थी।।

Vyāsa said: How could anyone possibly counteract the curse pronounced by great-souled sages? Although the Blessed Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was capable of averting their calamity, he nevertheless chose to disregard it. Kṛṣṇa can overturn the very course of the three worlds along with all moving and unmoving beings; so for him, what great difficulty would it be to reverse a curse that had befallen those high-minded heroes? Those women, moreover, had long ago been cursed by the sage Aṣṭāvakra, angered by their mockery. For that very purpose your strength was diminished—so that, falling into the hands of robbers, they might be released from the curse. Now that they have regained their former state and station, there is no need to grieve for them.

Verse 29

कृत्वा भारावतरणं पृथिव्या: पृुथुलोचन:

Having accomplished the easing of the Earth’s burden, the wide-eyed one (the Lord) … (the narrative continues), showing that the divine purpose behind the great conflict—relieving the world of oppressive forces—has been fulfilled, and that events now turn toward withdrawal and closure rather than further conquest.

Verse 30

त्वयापीह महत्‌ कर्म देवानां पुरुषर्षभ

Vyāsa said: “You too, here, have accomplished a great deed—O bull among men—one that bears upon the very gods.”

Verse 31

कृतकृत्यांश्व वो मन्ये संसिद्धान्‌ कुरुपुड्रव

Vyāsa said: “I consider you to have accomplished what needed to be done and to have reached fulfillment, O foremost of the Kurus.”

Verse 32

गमन॑ प्राप्तकालं व इदं श्रेयस्करं विभो । कुरुश्रेष्ठ! मैं समझता हूँ कि अब तुमलोगोंने अपना कर्तव्य पूर्ण कर लिया है। तुम्हें सब प्रकारसे सफलता प्राप्त हो चुकी है। प्रभो! अब तुम्हारे परलोक-गमनका समय आया है और यही तुमलोगोंके लिये श्रेयस्कर है ।।

Vyāsa said: “O mighty one, O best of the Kurus—this is the fitting time to depart, and it is for your highest good. I understand that you have now fulfilled your duty; you have attained success in every way. Lord, the time has come for your journey to the next world, and that very departure is what is most beneficial for you.”

Verse 33

कालमूलमिदं सर्व जगद्वीजं धनंजय

Vyāsa said: “O Dhanañjaya, all this—this entire manifested world—has Time as its root; Time is the seed from which the world arises.”

Verse 34

स एव बलवान भूत्वा पुनर्भवति दुर्बल:

That very one, having become strong, again becomes weak—showing how worldly power and vigor are unstable and liable to reversal.

Verse 35

कृतकृत्यानि चास्त्राणि गतान्यद्य यथागतम्‌

And the weapons—having fulfilled their purpose—have today departed, returning just as they had come. The line underscores the moral closure of violence: instruments of war are not ends in themselves, but transient means that withdraw once their destined work is done.

Verse 36

पुनरेष्यन्ति ते हस्ते यदा कालो भविष्यति । तुम्हारे अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका प्रयोजन भी पूरा हो गया है; इसलिये वे जैसे मिले थे वैसे ही चले गये। जब उपयुक्त समय होगा तब वे फिर तुम्हारे हाथमें आयेंगे ।।

Vyāsa said: “They will return to your hand when the destined time arrives. The purpose for which your weapons and arms were needed has now been fulfilled; therefore, as they came to you, so they have departed. When the proper occasion comes, they will again come into your possession. For Time, O Bhārata, moves onward along its supreme course—even for men like you.”

Verse 37

वैशम्पायन उवाच एतद्‌ वचनमाज्ञाय व्यासस्यामिततेजस:

Vaiśampāyana said: Having understood this statement of Vyāsa, whose splendor was immeasurable, (they acted accordingly). The narration underscores reverent attention to the counsel of a spiritually authoritative elder, implying that right action begins with correctly grasping the intent of wise instruction.

Verse 38

प्रविश्य च पुरी वीर: समासाद्य युधिष्ठटिरम्‌ । आचरष्ट तद्‌ यथावृत्तं वृष्ण्यन्धककुलं प्रति,नगरमें प्रवेश करके वीर अर्जुन युधिष्ठिससे मिले और वृष्णि तथा अन्धकवंशका यथावत्‌ समाचार उन्होंने कह सुनाया

Having entered the city, the heroic Arjuna approached King Yudhiṣṭhira and reported, in due order and exactly as it had occurred, the full account concerning the Vṛṣṇi and Andhaka clans. The verse underscores a dharmic duty of truthful, orderly communication in the face of communal catastrophe.

Verse 73

स कृष्ण: सह रामेण त्यक्त्वा देहं दिवं गत: । अर्जुनने कहा--भगवन्‌! जिनका सुन्दर विग्रह मेघके समान श्याम था और जिनके नेत्र विशाल कमलदलके समान शोभा पाते थे वे श्रीमान्‌ भगवान्‌ कृष्ण बलरामजीके साथ देहत्याग करके अपने परम धामको पधार गये

Arjuna said: “That Lord Kṛṣṇa, together with Rāma (Balarāma), having cast off His bodily form, has gone to heaven—returning to His supreme abode.” In the narrative, this marks the close of the Lord’s visible presence in the world and signals the end of an era; ethically, it underscores the impermanence of embodied life and the inevitability of separation even from the most beloved, directing the listener toward steadiness in dharma amid loss.

Verse 96

भोजवृष्ण्यन्धका ब्रद्दान्नन्योन्यं तैर्हतं युधि । ब्रह्मन! भोज, वृष्णि और अन्धकवंशके ये महा-मनस्वी शूरवीर सिंहके समान दर्पशाली और महान्‌ बलवान थे; परन्तु वे गृहयुद्धमें एक-दूसरेके द्वारा मार डाले गये

Arjuna said: “The Bhojas, the Vṛṣṇis, and the Andhakas—those high-spirited heroes, proud and powerful like lions—have, in a fratricidal conflict, slain one another on the field. O Brāhmaṇa, they have been destroyed by their own hands.”

Verse 106

त एरकाभिननिहता: पश्य कालस्य पर्ययम्‌ | जो गदा, परिघ और शक्तियोंकी मार सह सकते थे वे परिघके समान सुदृढ़ बाहोंवाले यदुवंशी एरका नामक तृणविशेषके द्वारा मारे गये--यह समयका उलट-फेर तो देखिये

Arjuna said: “They have been struck down by mere eraka reeds—behold the reversal wrought by Time. Those Yādavas whose arms were as firm as iron bars, who could endure the blows of maces, clubs, and spears, have been slain by a simple grass called eraka. See how destiny overturns all strength.”

Verse 116

निधन समनुप्राप्तं समासाद्येतरेतरम्‌ । अपने बाहुबलसे शोभा पानेवाले पाँच लाख वीर आपसमें ही लड़-भिड़कर मर मिटे

Arjuna said: “Having reached their destined end, they closed with one another. Five hundred thousand warriors—once renowned for the splendor of their own strength—turned upon each other, fought at close quarters, and perished to the last.”

Verse 163

आभीरैरनुसृत्याजी हृता: पञ्चनदालयै: । जब मैं उस घटनाका चिन्तन करता हूँ तब बारंबार मेरा हृदय विदीर्ण होने लगता है। ब्रह्म! पंजाबके अहीरोंने मुझसे युद्ध ठानकर मेरे देखते-देखते वृष्णिवंशकी हजारों स्त्रियोंका अपहरण कर लिया

Arjuna said: “The Ābhīras, dwelling in the land of the five rivers, pursued us and, having resolved to fight, abducted the women of the Vṛṣṇi line right before my eyes. Whenever I reflect on that calamity, my heart is torn again and again.”

Verse 173

यथा पुरा च मे वीर्य भुजयोर्न तथाभवत्‌ । मैंने धनुष लेकर उनका सामना करना चाहा परंतु मैं उसे चढ़ा न सका। मेरी भुजाओंमें पहले-जैसा बल था वैसा अब नहीं रहा

Arjuna said: “As in former times, so now the strength in my arms was not the same. I took up my bow, wishing to confront them, but I could not even string it. The power that once upheld my prowess has departed.”

Verse 243

उपदेष्ठूं मम श्रेयो भवानहति सत्तम । सर्वव्यापी भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्ण अन्तर्धान हो गये

Arjuna said: “O best of the virtuous, you are fit to instruct me in what is truly for my good. The moment I heard that the all-pervading Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has disappeared from sight, my awareness of every direction seemed to fail. The destruction of my own kinsmen had already occurred, and now even my valor has withered away. With a hollowed heart I run about here and there. O great seer, foremost among the holy, out of compassion teach me: how may my welfare be secured?”

Verse 286

तव स्नेहात्‌ पुराणर्षिवासुदेवश्वतुर्भुज: । जो स्नेहवश तुम्हारे रथके आगे चलते थे (सारथिका काम करते थे), वे वासुदेव कोई साधारण पुरुष नहीं, साक्षात्‌ चक्र-गदाधारी पुरातन ऋषि चतुर्भुज नारायण थे

Vyāsa said: “Out of affection for you, Vāsudeva—the ancient seer, four-armed—used to walk before your chariot and serve as your charioteer. Know that this Vāsudeva was no ordinary man: he was in truth Nārāyaṇa himself, the primeval sage, four-armed, bearing the discus and the mace.”

Verse 293

मोक्षयित्वा तनु प्राप्त: कृष्ण: स्वस्थानमुत्तमम्‌ । वे विशाल नेत्रोंवाले श्रीकृष्ण इस पृथ्वीका भार उतारकर शरीर त्याग अपने उत्तम परम धामको जा पहुँचे हैं

Vyāsa said: “Having released his embodied form after completing his mission of lightening the earth’s burden, Kṛṣṇa attained his own supreme abode.”

Verse 306

कृतं भीमसहायेन यमाभ्यां च महाभुज । पुरुषप्रवर! महाबाहों! तुमने भी भीमसेन और नकुल-सहदेवकी सहायतासे देवताओंका महान्‌ कार्य सिद्ध किया है

Vyāsa said: “O mighty-armed hero, best among men! With Bhīma’s help and with the twin sons of Yama, a great deed was accomplished. And you too—supported by Bhīmasena and by Nakula and Sahadeva—brought to completion a great work on behalf of the gods.”

Verse 326

भवन्ति भवकालेषु विपद्यन्ते विपर्यये । भरतनन्दन! जब उद्धवका समय आता है तब इसी प्रकार मनुष्यकी बुद्धि, तेज और ज्ञानका विकास होता है और जब विपरीत समय उपस्थित होता है तब इन सबका नाश हो जाता है

Vyāsa said: “O delight of the Bharatas! When a favorable time arrives—such as the destined hour for Uddhava—then a person’s intelligence, inner radiance, and knowledge naturally unfold and grow. But when adverse time sets in, these very faculties decline and are destroyed. Thus, human capability rises and falls under the sway of Time.”

Verse 336

काल एव समादत्ते पुनरेव यदृच्छया । धनंजय! काल ही इन सबकी जड़ है। संसारकी उत्पत्तिका बीज भी काल ही है और काल ही फिर अकस्मात्‌ सबका संहार कर देता है

Vyāsa said: “Time alone gathers everything up again—seemingly by chance. O Dhanañjaya, Time is the root of all this: Time is the seed of the world’s arising, and Time, without warning, brings about the destruction of all.”

Verse 343

स एवेशश्व भूत्वेह परैराज्ञाप्यते पुन: । वही बलवान्‌ होकर फिर दुर्बल हो जाता है और वही एक समय दूसरोंका शासक होकर कालान्तरमें स्वयं दूसरोंका आज्ञापालक हो जाता है

Vyāsa said: “In this very world, the same person who once stood as a powerful ruler becomes subject again to the commands of others. Strength turns into weakness, and sovereignty into obedience—an ethical reminder of the instability of worldly power and the inevitability of change under Time.”

Verse 363

एतत्‌ श्रेयो हि वो मन्ये परमं भरतर्षभ । भारत! अब तुमलोगोंके उत्तम गति प्राप्त करनेका समय उपस्थित है। भरतश्रेष्ठ! मुझे इसीमें तुमलोगोंका परम कल्याण जान पड़ता है

Vyāsa said: “I consider this to be truly for your highest good, O bull among the Bharatas. The time has now come for you all to attain the supreme course. In this alone I perceive your greatest welfare.”

Verse 3736

अनुज्ञातो ययौ पार्थो नगरं नागसाह्दयम्‌ । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! अमिततेजस्वी व्यासजीके इस वचनका तत्त्व समझकर अर्जुन उनकी आज्ञा ले हस्तिनापुरको चले गये

Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, having grasped the true import of the mighty Vyāsa’s words, Arjuna—son of Pṛthā—took his leave with permission and departed for the city of Hastināpura.”