Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
समवेतांश्व॒ तान् सर्वान् पौरान् जानपदांस्तथा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | samavetāṁś ca tān sarvān paurān jānapadāṁs tathā | brahmo va bhagavān eṣa sarvabhūta-jagat-patiḥ | (evam eva mahābāhur bhīmārjuna-yamair vṛtaḥ |) yudhiṣṭhiro mahātejā bhavataḥ pālayiṣyati ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : « Vous tous, citoyens et gens des campagnes assemblés ici : ce Yudhiṣṭhira, aux bras puissants et au rayonnement éclatant, entouré de Bhīma, d’Arjuna et des jumeaux (Nakula et Sahadeva), vous protégera de la même manière. Tel Brahmā, le Seigneur bienheureux de tous les êtres et du monde, il veillera sur vous sans partialité, comme le faisaient les justes d’autrefois. »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s legitimacy is grounded in impartial protection of all subjects. Yudhiṣṭhira is presented as an ethical ruler whose duty (rājadharma) is to maintain order and welfare like a cosmic guardian—governing without bias and supported by capable brothers.
The narrator describes an address to assembled citizens and countryfolk, assuring them that Yudhiṣṭhira—attended by Bhīma, Arjuna, and the twins—will continue to protect and govern them properly, likened to Brahmā as a model of sustaining the world’s order.