Shloka 1
Bhīṣma’s Admonition; Duryodhana’s Rājasūya Aspiration and the Proposal of a Vaiṣṇava-satra
हि >> आय न (0) हि 7 2 चत्वारिशर्दाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: दुर्योधनका सेनासहित वनमें जाकर गौओंकी देखभाल करना और उसके सैनिकों एवं गन्धर्वो्में परस्पर कटु संवाद वैशम्पायन उवाच अथ दुर्योधनो राजा तत्र तत्र वने वसन् | जगाम घोषानभितत्तत्र चक्रे निवेशनम्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर राजा दुर्योधन जहाँ-तहाँ वनमें पड़ाव डालता हुआ उन घोषों (गोशालाओं)-के पास पहुँच गया और वहाँ उसने अपनी छावनी डाली
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: atha duryodhano rājā tatra tatra vane vasan jagāma ghoṣān abhitatas tatra cakre niveśanam.
Vaiśampāyana said: Then King Duryodhana, moving from place to place while encamped in the forest, reached the cowherd settlements (grazing stations). Having arrived there, he established his camp. The episode sets the stage for a morally charged encounter: a royal expedition framed as “protecting cattle” becomes a vehicle for pride, provocation, and conflict, foreshadowing harsh exchanges and violence that test restraint and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intentions and conduct matter in dharma: even a seemingly legitimate royal activity (visiting/protecting cattle-stations) can become ethically compromised when driven by arrogance or the desire to provoke, setting conditions for avoidable conflict.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to Janamejaya that Duryodhana, traveling through the forest with his party, reaches the cowherd settlements (ghoṣas) and establishes a camp there, initiating the sequence that will lead to tense exchanges and confrontation.