Shloka 22
युधिष्ठिरस्य राज्याभिषेकः | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Royal Consecration
दिष्ट्या गाण्डीवधन्वा च भीमसेनश्न् पाण्डव: । त्वं चापि कुशली राजन माद्रीपुत्रो च पाण्डवी,“गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुन, पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेन, तुम और माद्रीपुत्र पाण्डुकुमार नकुल- सहदेव--ये सभी शत्रुओंपर विजय पाकर इस वीरविनाशक संग्रामसे कुशलपूर्वक बच गये, इसे भी महान् सौभाग्यकी ही बात समझनी चाहिये। भारत! अब आगे जो कार्य करने हैं, उन सबको शीघ्र पूर्ण कीजिये”
diṣṭyā gāṇḍīvadhanvā ca bhīmasenaś ca pāṇḍavaḥ | tvaṃ cāpi kuśalī rājan mādrīputro ca pāṇḍavī ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “It is indeed by good fortune that Arjuna, bearer of the Gāṇḍīva, and Bhīmasena, the Pāṇḍava, have survived; and that you too, O king, are safe—along with the sons of Mādrī among the Pāṇḍavas. Count this as a great blessing: having won victory over enemies, you have all escaped that hero-destroying war unharmed. Now, O descendant of Bharata, swiftly accomplish the duties that still remain.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames survival after catastrophic war as a matter of great fortune and immediately redirects attention to dharma: the king must now complete the remaining obligations—governance, rites, reconciliation, and restoration—without delay.
Vaiśampāyana reports a consoling, forward-looking statement: Arjuna, Bhīma, the king, and Mādrī’s sons have all come through the war safely and victorious; therefore the Bhārata king should proceed quickly to the necessary post-war tasks.