Shloka 2

धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्षमायाचनं तथा युधिष्ठिरे न्यासदानम् / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Forgiveness and the Entrustment to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

कार्तिक्यां कारयित्वेष्टिं ब्राह्मुणैवेंदपारगै:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | kārtikyāṃ kārayitveṣṭiṃ brāhmaṇair vedapāragaiḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Le jour de pleine lune de Kārttika, après avoir fait accomplir par des brāhmanes savants, maîtres des Veda, l’iṣṭi convenable au temps du départ, le roi Dhṛtarāṣṭra revêtit l’écorce et la peau de daim. Plaçant l’Agnihotra en tête comme devoir sacré, et entouré des épouses de ses fils, il quitta le palais royal.»

Word by Word

• कार्तिक्याम्: on (the day of) Kārtikī (full-moon of Kārtika)
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• कारयित्वा: having caused (to be done)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (कारयति, causative)
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• इष्टिम्: a (Vedic) sacrifice/oblation-rite
• इष्टिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणैः: by Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• इन्दपारगैः: by those who had gone to the far shore of the Veda (Veda-experts)
• इन्दपारगैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेदपारग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Kārttika (month / full-moon)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Veda
• iṣṭi (sacrificial rite)
• valkala (bark-garment)
• mṛgacarma (deer-skin)
• agnihotra (sacred fire rite)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• royal palace (rājabhavana)
• sons’ wives (pūtra-vadhūḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma through a conscious shift from royal life to disciplined renunciation: before departing, Dhṛtarāṣṭra ensures Vedic rites are duly performed and keeps agnihotra central, showing that withdrawal from power should be guided by ritual responsibility, self-restraint, and ethical reorientation rather than mere escape.

What is happening in the narrative?

On the Kārttika full-moon, Dhṛtarāṣṭra arranges an iṣṭi sacrifice through Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas, adopts ascetic attire (bark and deer-skin), prioritizes the agnihotra, and then leaves the palace accompanied by his sons’ wives—marking the beginning of his forest-dwelling phase.