Shloka 16
अध्याय १: महाप्रस्थानारम्भः
The Commencement of the Great Departure
सर्वमाचष्ट राजर्षिश्षिकीर्षितमथात्मन: । इसके बाद समस्त प्रकृतियों (प्रजा-मन्त्री आदि)-को बुलाकर राजर्षि युधिष्ठिरने, वे जो कुछ करना चाहते थे अपना वह सारा विचार उनसे कह सुनाया ।। ते श्रुत्वैव वचस्तस्य पौरजानपदा जना:,उनकी वह बात सुनते ही नगर और जनपदके लोग मन-ही-मन अत्यन्त उद्विग्न हो उठे। उन्होंने उस प्रस्तावका स्वागत नहीं किया। वे सब राजासे एक साथ बोले--, “आपको ऐसा नहीं करना चाहिये (आप हमें छोड़कर कहीं न जाय)”
sarvam ācakṣṭa rājarṣiḥ śikīrṣitam athātmanaḥ | te śrutvaiva vacas tasya paurajānapadā janāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the royal sage Yudhiṣṭhira disclosed in full to the assembled ministers, citizens, and all the people what he himself intended to do. The moment they heard his words, the townsmen and the inhabitants of the countryside were inwardly shaken and deeply distressed. They did not welcome his proposal; gathering together, they spoke to the king with one voice: “You should not do this—do not leave us and go away.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between a ruler’s personal resolve (often toward renunciation and final duty) and the people’s dependence on the king’s protective presence. It frames kingship as a moral bond: the king must act by dharma, yet the subjects’ welfare and emotional security are also part of that dharma.
Yudhiṣṭhira summons the key constituents of the kingdom (ministers, citizens, and provincial people) and openly states his intended course of action—his plan to depart. On hearing this, the populace becomes distressed and collectively urges him not to leave.