Shloka 8
धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्षमायाचनं तथा युधिष्ठिरे न्यासदानम् / Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Forgiveness and the Entrustment to Yudhiṣṭhira
वृकोदर: फाल्गुनश्चैव वीरौ माद्रीपुत्रौ विदुरः संजयश्च । वैश्यापुत्र: सहितो गौतमेन धौम्यो विदप्राश्चान्वयुर्बाष्पकण्ठा:
vaśiṣṭha uvāca
vṛkodaraḥ phālgunaś caiva vīrau mādrīputrau viduraḥ saṃjayaś ca | vaiśyāputraḥ sahito gautamena dhaumyo dvijaprāś cānvayur bāṣpakaṇṭhāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Bhīma (Vṛkodara) et Arjuna (Phālguna), les deux vaillants fils de Mādrī (Nakula et Sahadeva), Vidura et Sañjaya, ainsi que Yuyutsu —né d’une femme vaiśya—, avec Gautama (Kṛpa), Dhaumya et bien d’autres brāhmaṇas, les suivirent, la gorge nouée de larmes. (Dans la scène qui se poursuit) Kuntī marchait en tête, soutenant la main de Gāndhārī aux yeux bandés, qu’elle faisait reposer sur son épaule ; derrière venait Gāndhārī, le bandeau sur les yeux, tandis que le roi Dhṛtarāṣṭra, posant sa main sur l’épaule de Gāndhārī, avançait avec une confiance paisible.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed as compassionate accompaniment and reverence toward elders even after devastating conflict: the victors do not abandon the aged and afflicted; instead they follow them with humility and shared grief, acknowledging moral responsibility beyond political outcomes.
As Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, and Kuntī proceed toward forest life, the principal Pāṇḍavas and respected elders—Vidura, Sañjaya, Yuyutsu, Kṛpa, Dhaumya, and many brāhmaṇas—walk behind them, overcome with emotion, indicating a solemn departure from royal life into renunciation.