Shloka 16

Devanagari script

गान्धारीसहितो धीमानभ्यनन्दद्‌ यथाविधि । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर ग्यारहवें दिन प्रात:ःकाल गान्धारीसहित बुद्धिमान्‌ अम्बिकानन्दन धृतराष्ट्रने वनवासकी तैयारी करके वीर पाण्डवोंको बुलाया और उनका यथावत्‌ अभिनन्दन किया

Transliteration

gāndhārī-sahito dhīmān abhyānandad yathā-vidhi | vaiśampāyana uvāca— janamejaya! tad-anantaram ekādaśe dine prātaḥ-kāle gāndhārī-sahito buddhimān ambikā-nandanaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭro vana-vāsa-kī tayārī kṛtvā vīrān pāṇḍavān āhūya tān yathāvat abhinandad iti |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, thereafter, on the eleventh day at dawn, the wise Dhṛtarāṣṭra—son of Ambikā—accompanied by Gāndhārī, having made preparations for life in the forest, summoned the heroic Pāṇḍavas and greeted them in the proper, prescribed manner.”

Word by Word

• गान्धारी: with Gandhari
• गान्धारी: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गान्धारी
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• सहितः: accompanied (by)
• सहितः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धीमान्: wise
• धीमान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अभ्यनन्दत्: welcomed / greeted
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-नन्द्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यथा: as / according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• विधि: rule, prescribed manner
• विधि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Janamejaya
• Gāndhārī
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Ambikā
• Pāṇḍavas
• forest-dwelling (vana-vāsa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after catastrophic conflict, dharma expresses itself through restraint, proper conduct, and respectful closure: elders undertake renunciation (vana-vāsa) and maintain social-ritual propriety (yathā-vidhi) in their dealings, signaling ethical transition from royal life to ascetic retirement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, accompanied by Gāndhārī, prepares to depart for forest life. Before leaving, he summons the Pāṇḍavas and formally greets and honors them according to established custom, as Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya.