Shloka 9
Saubha-nipātana: Kṛṣṇa’s Counter to Śālva’s Māyā
Book 3, Chapter 23
वर: कुरूणामधिप: प्रजानां पितेव पुत्रानपहाय चास्मान् | पौरानिमाञ्जानपदांश्व सर्वान् हित्वा प्रयात: क्व नु धर्मराज:,उस महान् जनसमुदाय (प्रजा)-के लोग कुरुकुलके प्रमुख वीर युधिष्ठिरके पास जा उन्हें चारों ओरसे घेरकर खड़े हो गये। राजन! उस समय उन सबके मुखपर आँसुओंकी धारा बह रही थी और वे वियोगके भयसे भीत हो हा नाथ! हा धर्म! इस प्रकार पुकारते हुए कह रहे थे--“कुरुवंशके श्रेष्ठ अधिपति, प्रजाजनोंपर पिताका-सा स्नेह रखनेवाले धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर हम सब पुत्रों, पुरवासियों तथा समस्त देशवासियोंको छोड़कर अब कहाँ चले जा रहे हैं?
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
varaḥ kurūṇām adhipaḥ prajānāṁ pitevā putrān apahāya cāsmān |
paurān imāñ jānāpadāṁś ca sarvān hitvā prayātaḥ kva nu dharmarājaḥ ||
They cried: “Where indeed is Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira going, having departed after abandoning us—he, the foremost lord of the Kurus, who cherishes his subjects like a father his sons—leaving behind the citizens of the capital and all the people of the countryside?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ideal of rajadharma: a ruler should care for subjects with paternal concern. The people’s grief underscores the ethical bond between king and populace, where the king’s departure feels like a father abandoning his children.
As Yudhiṣṭhira prepares to depart (in the context of the Pāṇḍavas’ exile), the citizens and countryfolk gather and lament, asking where their dharma-king is going after leaving them behind.