Shloka 2
धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्षमायाचनं तथा युधिष्ठिरे न्यासदानम् / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Forgiveness and the Entrustment to Yudhiṣṭhira
कार्तिक्यां कारयित्वेष्टिं ब्राह्मुणैवेंदपारगै:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kārtikyāṃ kārayitveṣṭiṃ brāhmaṇair vedapāragaiḥ |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Am Vollmondtag des Kārttika ließ König Dhṛtarāṣṭra von gelehrten Brāhmaṇas, die die Veden gemeistert hatten, das der Reisezeit angemessene iṣṭi-Ritual vollziehen. Dann legte er Rindenkleid und Hirschfell an. Das Agnihotra stellte er als heilige Pflicht voran, und von den Frauen seiner Söhne umgeben verließ er den Königspalast.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma through a conscious shift from royal life to disciplined renunciation: before departing, Dhṛtarāṣṭra ensures Vedic rites are duly performed and keeps agnihotra central, showing that withdrawal from power should be guided by ritual responsibility, self-restraint, and ethical reorientation rather than mere escape.
On the Kārttika full-moon, Dhṛtarāṣṭra arranges an iṣṭi sacrifice through Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas, adopts ascetic attire (bark and deer-skin), prioritizes the agnihotra, and then leaves the palace accompanied by his sons’ wives—marking the beginning of his forest-dwelling phase.