Shloka 5

Nārada’s Exempla of Tapas and Assurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (नारदोपदेशः—तपःसिद्ध्युदाहरणम्)

Devanagari script

व्यतीतायां तु शर्वर्या कृतपौर्वाल्निकक्रिय: । भ्रातृभि: सहितो राजा ददर्शाश्रममण्डलम्‌

Transliteration

vyatītāyāṁ tu śarvaryā kṛta-paurvāhṇika-kriyaḥ | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito rājā dadarśāśrama-maṇḍalam ||

Translation

Als die Nacht vergangen war, brach der König—nachdem er die üblichen Morgenriten vollzogen hatte—mit seinen Brüdern auf und erblickte den Bezirk der Einsiedeleien. Die Szene betont die Disziplin der täglichen Observanzen und die ehrerbietige Hinwendung zum asketischen Leben, da der Herrscher nach den Verwüstungen des Krieges zu Selbstzucht, Verehrung und dharmischer Ordnung findet.

Word by Word

• {'vyatītāyām': 'when (it) had passed

• after the lapse (locative absolute)', 'śarvaryām': 'night', 'tu': 'indeed

• then', 'kṛta': 'done

• performed', 'paurvāhṇika-kriyāḥ': 'morning duties/rites (daily observances such as purification, prayers, offerings)', 'bhrātṛbhiḥ': 'with (his) brothers (instrumental plural)', 'sahitaḥ': 'accompanied

• together with', 'rājā': 'the king', 'dadarśa': 'saw

• beheld', 'āśrama': 'hermitage

• ascetic dwelling', 'maṇḍala': 'circle

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• the king (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• brothers (Pāṇḍavas)
• āśrama-maṇḍala (hermitage precincts)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic discipline: even a king begins the day with prescribed morning observances, showing that righteous rule is grounded in self-regulation and respect for sacred practice, especially in a post-war setting.

What is happening in the narrative?

After night ends, the king completes his morning rituals and, accompanied by his brothers, goes around and views the hermitage precincts—signaling a turn toward the forest-ascetic milieu central to the Āśramavāsika narrative.