Shloka 53
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
उष्टाणां क्रोशतां चापि हयानां हेषतामपि । ततो युधिछिरो राजा सदार: सहसैनिक: । नगरं हास्तिनपुरं पुनरायात् सबान्धव:
uṣṭrāṇāṃ krośatāṃ cāpi hayānāṃ heṣatām api | tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā sadāraḥ sahasainikaḥ | nagaraṃ hāstinapuraṃ punar āyāt sabāndhavaḥ ||
As the camel-drivers cried out, the camels bellowed, and the horses neighed, King Yudhiṣṭhira—accompanied by his wives, his kinsmen, and his troops—returned once more to the city of Hāstinapura.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid grief and the pull of renunciation, dharma may require a return to one’s appointed role. Yudhiṣṭhira’s movement back to Hāstinapura signals the ethical necessity of sustaining governance and social stability after the elders’ forest withdrawal.
After preparations for travel—signaled by loud calls and the sounds of camels and horses—Yudhiṣṭhira, accompanied by his wives, relatives, and soldiers, departs and arrives back in Hāstinapura, marking a shift from the forest episode to the city’s political sphere.