Shloka 3
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
कृतोदकं तु राजानं धर्मपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । अभिजममुर्महात्मान: सिद्धा ब्रह्मर्षिसत्तमा:,मृतकोंके लिये जलांजलि देकर बैठे हुए धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरके पास बहुतसे श्रेष्ठ ब्रह्मर्षि सिद्ध महात्मा पधारे
kṛtodakaṃ tu rājānaṃ dharmaputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | abhijagmur mahātmānaḥ siddhā brahmarṣisattamāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma, had completed the rite of offering water (for the departed), the great-souled Siddhas and the foremost Brahmarṣis came to him. Their arrival frames Yudhiṣṭhira’s grief and responsibility after the war, and signals that dharma is to be sought through counsel, restraint, and higher wisdom rather than through victory alone.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a righteous victory leaves moral residue and grief; therefore the king must turn to dharma through proper rites, humility, and guidance from realized sages, seeking peace and ethical governance rather than triumphalism.
After completing the funerary water-offering (kṛtodaka) for the slain, King Yudhiṣṭhira is seated in mourning. At that moment, perfected beings (Siddhas) and eminent seers (Brahmarṣis) arrive to meet him, setting the stage for instruction on śānti (pacification) and rājadharma.