Shloka 23

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा वासुदेवस्तु चिकीर्ष: सत्यमेव तत्‌ । आज्ञापयामास तदा तीर्थयात्रामरिंदम:,ऐसा कहकर शत्रुदमन भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्णने गान्धारीके उस कथनको सत्य करनेकी इच्छासे यदुवंशियोंको उस समय तीर्थयात्राके लिये आज्ञा दी

Transliteration

ity uktvā vāsudevas tu cikīrṣaḥ satyam eva tat | ājñāpayāmāsa tadā tīrthayātrām arindamaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus, Vāsudeva—resolved to make that very statement come true—then issued the command for a pilgrimage to the sacred fords, O subduer of foes.

Word by Word

इतिthus

उक्त्वाhaving said

वासुदेवःVasudeva (Krishna)

तुbut/indeed

चिकीर्षुःwishing to do/bring about

सत्यम्true (thing), truth

एवindeed/just

तत्that

आज्ञापयामासcommanded/ordered

तदाthen

तीर्थयात्राम्pilgrimage (journey to sacred fords)

अरिंदमःfoe-subduing (one who crushes enemies)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa)

tīrtha (sacred fords/places of pilgrimage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical gravity of truth and consequence: Kṛṣṇa deliberately acts to bring a spoken outcome to fruition, showing how resolve (saṅkalpa) and action can align with an unfolding destiny, and how pilgrimage can function as a dharmic transition at the end of an era.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the preceding exchange (notably connected in the Gītā Press context with Gāndhārī’s words), Kṛṣṇa decides to make that pronouncement ‘true’ in effect and therefore orders a tīrtha-yātrā for his people, setting in motion the events that lead toward the Mausala Parva’s culmination.