Shloka 17
न्यासयामासुरथ तां शिबिकां सत्यवादिन: । सभार्यस्य नृसिंहस्य पाण्डोरक्लिष्टकर्मण:,समस्त पाण्डव, भीष्म तथा विदुरजी क्रन्दन करते हुए जा रहे थे। वनके रमणीय प्रदेशमें गंगाजीके शुभ एवं समतल तटपर उन लोगोंने, अनायास ही महान् पराक्रम करनेवाले सत्यवादी नरश्रेष्ठ पाण्डु और उनकी पत्नी माद्रीकी उस शिबिकाको रखा
nyāsayāmāsur atha tāṁ śibikāṁ satyavādinaḥ | sabhāryasya nṛsiṁhasya pāṇḍor akliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then those truthful men set down that palanquin—bearing the lion-like Pāṇḍu, a doer of unwearied deeds, together with his wife—upon the auspicious, level bank of the Gaṅgā in a lovely stretch of forest. The scene is marked by grief and reverence: the elders and kin, overwhelmed, pause to honor the fallen king with dignity and restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and maryādā (propriety): even in grief, the attendants act with dignity, honoring the king and his wife by carefully placing the bier/palanquin in an auspicious place, reflecting dharmic restraint amid sorrow.
The bearers and attendants, described as truthful men, set down the palanquin carrying Pāṇḍu—lion-like and indefatigable—and his wife on the level, auspicious bank of the Gaṅgā in a beautiful forest region, marking a pause in the mournful procession.