Shloka 6

Adhyāya 6: Kaṅka (Yudhiṣṭhira) Seeks Refuge in Virāṭa’s Assembly

Devanagari script

स्तोतुं प्रचक्रमे भूयो विविधै: स्तोत्रसम्भवै: । आमन्त्र्य दर्शनाकाड्क्षी राजा देवीं सहानुज:

Transliteration

stotuṁ pracakrame bhūyo vividhaiḥ stotrasambhavaiḥ | āmantṛya darśanākāṅkṣī rājā devīṁ sahānujaiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then King Yudhiṣṭhira, longing for the Goddess’s direct vision and accompanied by his younger brothers, once again began to praise her—addressing her with many names and epithets drawn from hymns. The scene underscores a dharmic posture of humility: before undertaking concealment and danger, the righteous king seeks divine protection not through force, but through reverent invocation and devotion.

Word by Word

• स्तोतुम्: to praise
• स्तोतुम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-अन्त (infinitive)

• प्रचक्रमे: began / set about
• प्रचक्रमे: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), आत्मनेपद, 3, singular

• भूयः: again, further
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (प्रातिपदिक)

• विविधैः: with various
• विविधैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter/masculine, instrumental, plural

• स्तोत्रसम्भवैः: arising from hymns / hymn-born (names/phrases)
• स्तोत्रसम्भवैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तोत्र-सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: neuter/masculine, instrumental, plural

• आमन्त्र्य: having invoked/addressed
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-मन्त्र् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-अन्त (absolutive)

• दर्शनाकाङ्क्षी: desirous of seeing (her)
• दर्शनाकाङ्क्षी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दर्शन-आकाङ्क्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• सहानुजः: together with (his) younger brothers
• सहानुजः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सह-अनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• the Goddess (Durgā/Devī)
• the younger brothers of Yudhiṣṭhira (Pāṇḍavas, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic ethic of seeking strength through reverence and right intention: before entering a perilous phase, the king turns to disciplined devotion (stotra, āmantṛya) and asks for divine darśana, modeling humility and reliance on higher order rather than arrogance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, accompanied by his brothers, resumes the hymn to the Goddess, invoking her with many sacred epithets and yearning for her appearance (darśana). This sets the devotional frame for the Pāṇḍavas’ impending stay in Virāṭa’s realm.