Shloka 21
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 113 — Maryādā-sthāpana (Śvetaketu’s Boundary) and the Niyoga Deliberation of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī
तत:ः स कौरवो राजा विद्ृत्य त्रिदशा निशा: । जिगीषया महीं पाण्डुर्निरिक्रामत् पुरात् प्रभो,जनमेजय! कुरुवंशी राजा पाण्डु तीस रात्रियोंतक विहार करके समूची पृथ्वीपर विजय प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छा लेकर राजधानीसे बाहर निकले
tataḥ sa kauravo rājā vidhṛtya tridśā niśāḥ | jigīṣayā mahīṃ pāṇḍur nirikrāmat purāt prabho janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then that Kuru king Pāṇḍu, having spent thirty nights (in enjoyment and repose), set out from the capital, O lord Janamejaya, driven by the resolve to conquer the earth. The verse frames royal ambition as a deliberate undertaking: a king leaves the safety of the city not for pleasure alone, but to pursue sovereignty and the burdens of rule, where victory must be weighed against the demands of dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a king’s purposeful transition from private life to public responsibility: royal desire for conquest is presented as a conscious resolve that carries ethical weight, implying that sovereignty must be pursued and exercised within the constraints of rājadharma.
After spending thirty nights, King Pāṇḍu departs from the capital with the intention of conquering the earth; Vaiśampāyana narrates this to King Janamejaya as part of the unfolding history of the Kuru line.