Shloka 37
Droṇa’s Ācārya-Dakṣiṇā: Capture of Drupada and Division of Pāñcāla (द्रोण-आचार्यदक्षिणा)
एवमस्त्विति तं चापि प्रत्युवाच युधिष्ठिर: । ते रथैर्नगराकारैदेशजैक्ष गजोत्तमै:
evam astv iti taṃ cāpi pratyuvāca yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | te rathair nagarākāraiḥ deśajaiś ca gajottamaiḥ ||
Mendengar itu, Yudhiṣṭhira menjawab, “Demikianlah,” dan menerima usul Duryodhana. Lalu para kesatria itu—Kaurava dan Pāṇḍava bersama-sama—berangkat dari kota menaiki kereta-kereta megah laksana kota dan gajah-gajah unggul yang dibesarkan di negeri sendiri, menuju taman dan rimba. Setelah tiba di dekatnya, mereka mempersilakan para pemuka warga yang mengiringi untuk kembali; kemudian, bagaikan singa memasuki gua gunung, para saudara itu masuk ke taman sambil memandang keindahannya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal decorum and restraint: Yudhiṣṭhira’s measured assent (“evam astu”) reflects a dharmic tendency to maintain harmony and propriety in public settings, even amid underlying rivalry. It also shows the importance of orderly conduct—moving with the people’s accompaniment, then formally dismissing them before entering a private space.
Yudhiṣṭhira agrees to Duryodhana’s suggestion. The Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas depart the city together on grand chariots and fine native elephants, reach the garden-woods, dismiss the prominent citizens who escorted them, and then enter the garden like lions entering a mountain cave, observing its beauty.