Shloka 16
धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्षमायाचनं तथा युधिष्ठिरे न्यासदानम् / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Forgiveness and the Entrustment to Yudhiṣṭhira
गान्धारीसहितो धीमानभ्यनन्दद् यथाविधि । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! तदनन्तर ग्यारहवें दिन प्रात:ःकाल गान्धारीसहित बुद्धिमान् अम्बिकानन्दन धृतराष्ट्रने वनवासकी तैयारी करके वीर पाण्डवोंको बुलाया और उनका यथावत् अभिनन्दन किया
gāndhārī-sahito dhīmān abhyānandad yathā-vidhi | vaiśampāyana uvāca— janamejaya! tad-anantaram ekādaśe dine prātaḥ-kāle gāndhārī-sahito buddhimān ambikā-nandanaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭro vana-vāsa-kī tayārī kṛtvā vīrān pāṇḍavān āhūya tān yathāvat abhinandad iti |
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Janamejaya, ensuite, au onzième jour, à l’aube, le sage Dhṛtarāṣṭra —fils d’Ambikā—, accompagné de Gāndhārī, après avoir fait les préparatifs pour la vie en forêt, fit appeler les héroïques Pāṇḍava et les salua selon le rite prescrit.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even after catastrophic conflict, dharma expresses itself through restraint, proper conduct, and respectful closure: elders undertake renunciation (vana-vāsa) and maintain social-ritual propriety (yathā-vidhi) in their dealings, signaling ethical transition from royal life to ascetic retirement.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, accompanied by Gāndhārī, prepares to depart for forest life. Before leaving, he summons the Pāṇḍavas and formally greets and honors them according to established custom, as Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya.