Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 9
कृपकृपी-जननम्
The Birth of Kṛpa and Kṛpī; Kṛpa’s Attainment of Astras
प्रतस्थे सह पत्नीभ्यामन्रुवंस्तं च तापसा: । उपर्युपरि गच्छन्त: शैलराजमुदड्मुखा:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
pratasthe saha patnībhyām anuvraṁs taṁ ca tāpasāḥ |
uparyupari gacchantaḥ śailarājam udanmukhāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana dit : L’ayant entendu, le roi Pāṇḍu se mit aussitôt en route avec ses deux épouses ; et les ascètes l’accompagnèrent. Cheminant sur les hauteurs du roi des montagnes, le visage tourné vers le nord, ils avancèrent. Voyant cette marche vers le nord à travers les chaînes de l’Himalaya, les tapasvins prirent la parole (et le récit se poursuit).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic movement from worldly kingship toward restraint and spiritual striving: a king, accompanied by his wives and guided by ascetics, turns northward—symbolically toward higher aims—suggesting that ethical life can culminate in renunciation and disciplined pursuit of transcendence.
After hearing the preceding matter, Pāṇḍu immediately departs with his two wives. Ascetic sages accompany him. They travel northward over the Himalayan heights, and the next lines introduce what the sages say upon witnessing this journey.