Shloka 108

युधिष्ठिरस्य अर्जुनप्रेषण-युक्तिवर्णनम् | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rationale for Sending Arjuna and Request to Dhaumya

Devanagari script

ततो गच्छेत ब्रह्मुर्षेगौतमस्य वन प्रियम्‌

Transliteration

tato gacchet brahmarṣe gautamasya vana-priyam | tat-paścāt brahmarṣi-gautamake priya-vanakī yātrā karet | tatra ahalyā-kuṇḍe snānena manuṣyaḥ paramagatiṃ prāpnoti | rājan! gautamasyāśrame gatvā manuṣyaḥ svārthe lakṣmīṃ prāpnoti |

Translation

Kemudian hendaklah seseorang menuju rimba kesayangan Brahmarṣi Gautama. Di sana, dengan mandi di Telaga Ahalyā, seseorang mencapai keadaan tertinggi. Wahai Raja, dengan mendatangi āśrama Gautama, seseorang meraih Śrī—kemakmuran dan keberuntungan—bagi dirinya.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• गच्छेत्: should go
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Vidhi-lin (optative), 3, singular, Parasmaipada

• ब्रह्मर्षेः: of the brahmarshi (great sage)
• ब्रह्मर्षेः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मर्षि
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• गौतमस्य: of Gautama
• गौतमस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• वनम्: forest
• वनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• प्रियम्: dear/beloved
• प्रियम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

घुलस्त्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Gautama (ṛṣi)
• Gautama’s forest (vana-priya)
• Gautama’s āśrama (hermitage)
• Ahalyā-kuṇḍa (sacred pool)
• King (rājan, addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that disciplined pilgrimage to sanctified places associated with great sages, coupled with ritual purity (such as bathing in a revered tīrtha), supports both spiritual elevation (parama-gati) and rightful worldly well-being (lakṣmī), aligning personal benefit with dharmic practice.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker instructs the king on the next stages of a tīrtha-journey: go to the beloved forest of Ṛṣi Gautama, visit his hermitage, and bathe in Ahalyā-kuṇḍa, describing the fruits of these acts—supreme attainment and prosperity.