Shloka 12
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
ततो निष्क्रम्य नृपतिस्तस्मादन्त:पुरात् तदा
tato niṣkramya nṛpatis tasmād antaḥpurāt tadā | catvāraḥ sacivā yasya bhrātaro vipulaujasaḥ || lokapālasamā dyote sarvadharmārthadarśinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors le roi sortit du palais intérieur. Quatre ministres l’accompagnaient—ses propres frères, puissants de vigueur—rayonnants tels les gardiens du monde et pénétrant pleinement les principes du dharma et de l’artha. (Dans le contexte, le passage réaffirme qu’ils n’agiront jamais avec partialité et que Yudhiṣṭhira, entouré de Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula et Sahadeva, protégera et gouvernera le peuple avec droiture, selon l’usage vénérable des anciens.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous governance depends on impartiality and wise counsel: the ruler should be supported by advisors who understand both dharma (moral duty) and artha (practical welfare/statecraft), so that protection of the people is steady and just.
The narrator describes the king emerging from the inner palace, attended by four powerful brothers serving as his ministers, portrayed as radiant and discerning—setting the scene for assurances of stable, dharmic rule and protection of the populace.