Shloka 12
Āśramāgamanam — The Pāṇḍavas Arrive at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Hermitage
अचलो वृषकश्चैव राक्षसश्वाप्पलायुध: । बाह्विक:ः सोमदत्तश्न चेकितानश्न पार्थिव:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
acalo vṛṣakaś caiva rākṣasaś cāpy alāyudhaḥ |
bāhlīkaḥ somadattaś ca cekitānaś ca pārthivaḥ |
karṇaḥ duryodhanaḥ śakuniḥ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putro mahābalī duḥśāsanaś ca |
jarāsandha-kumāraḥ sahadevaḥ bhagadattaḥ parākramaḥ jala-sandhaḥ |
bhūriśravāḥ śalaḥ śalyaḥ bhrātṛbhiḥ saha vṛṣasenaḥ |
rājakumāro lakṣmaṇaḥ dhṛṣṭadyumna-putrāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ sarva-putrāḥ |
bhrātṛbhiḥ saha dhṛṣṭaketuḥ |
ete ca anye bahavaḥ kṣatriya-vīrāḥ saṅkhyā-bahutvān nāmato ’nukīrtitāḥ |
sarve dīpyamāna-śarīrāḥ tasmin jalāt prādurabhavan ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Acalā and Vṛṣaka; the rākṣasa Alāyudha; King Bāhlīka; Somadatta; and Cekitāna; Karṇa, Duryodhana, Śakuni, and the mighty Duḥśāsana, son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; Sahadeva, the son of Jarāsandha; Bhagadatta; the valiant Jalasaṃdha; Bhūriśravas, Śala, Śalya, and Vṛṣasena with his brothers; Prince Lakṣmaṇa; the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna; all the sons of Śikhaṇḍin; and Dhṛṣṭaketu with his brothers—these and many other heroic Kṣatriyas, too numerous to be named one by one, all appeared from that water, bearing radiant bodies.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic’s moral complexity: warriors from opposing sides—many associated with grave wrongdoing—are nevertheless shown reappearing with radiant bodies. This suggests that posthumous states are not a simple ledger of partisan victory or defeat, but unfold through karma, destiny, and the larger cosmic order that can transmute even violent life-stories into a different condition after death.
Vaiśampāyana lists numerous well-known kṣatriya heroes (and some rākṣasas) who, along with many unnamed warriors, manifest from the water with shining bodies. The scene functions as a mass reappearance/vision of the fallen, emphasizing their continued existence in another mode and setting the tone of closure and reflection characteristic of the Āśramavāsika section.