Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तस्मै सर्व विधि राज्ञे राजा55चख्यौ महामति: । आरण्यकं महाराज व्यासस्यानुमते तदा,महाराज! वहाँ परम बुद्धिमान्‌ राजा शतयूपने व्यासजीकी आज्ञासे धृतराष्ट्रको वनमें रहनेकी सम्पूर्ण विधि बतला दी

Transliteration

tasmai sarva-vidhi rājñe rājā śaṭayūpanaḥ mahāmatiḥ | āraṇyakaṁ mahārāja vyāsasyānumate tadā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Daraufhin erklärte der überaus weise König Śaṭayūpana, mit Vyāsas Zustimmung, jenem König die gesamte vorgeschriebene Ordnung des Waldlebens (vānaprastha).

Word by Word

तस्मैto him

सर्वविधिम्the entire procedure/rule

राज्ञेto the king

राजाthe king

शतयूपःŚatayūpa (proper name)

आचख्यौtold/declared

महामतिःvery wise

आरण्यकम्pertaining to the forest / forest-dwelling (rule)

महाराजO great king

व्यासस्यof Vyāsa

अनुमतेwith the permission (in the permission)

तदाthen

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śaṭayūpana

Vyāsa

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic transition: when the time comes, even a king should adopt a regulated life of restraint and austerity. Renunciation is not impulsive abandonment but a disciplined, properly instructed withdrawal, ideally under the sanction of a realized authority (here, Vyāsa).

What is happening in the narrative?

After the events leading to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s retirement, King Śaṭayūpana, being very wise, instructs him in the complete method of forest-dwelling (āraṇyaka/vānaprastha conduct), and this instruction is given with Vyāsa’s approval.