Shloka 20

Adhyāya 62: Marutta’s Treasure and the Pāṇḍavas’ Auspicious Departure (मरुत्तस्य धनप्राप्त्युपक्रमः)

Devanagari script

ततः: संचोदयामास व्यासो धर्मात्मजं नृपम्‌ अश्वमेधं प्रति तदा तत: सो<न्तर्हितो5भवत्‌,तदनन्तर व्यासजीने धर्मपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरको अश्वमेध यज्ञ करनेके लिये आज्ञा दी और स्वयं वहाँसे अदृश्य हो गये

Transliteration

tataḥ sañcodayāmāsa vyāso dharmātmajaṃ nṛpam | aśvamedhaṃ prati tadā tataḥ so 'ntarhito 'bhavat ||

Translation

Then Vyāsa urged the righteous king, the son of Dharma, to undertake the Aśvamedha sacrifice. Having thus instructed him regarding the rite, Vyāsa thereafter disappeared from that place—signaling both the king’s duty to restore order through lawful kingship and the sage’s detachment after setting dharma in motion.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

संचोदयामासurged, incited

व्यासःVyasa

धर्मात्मजम्the son of Dharma (Yudhishthira)

नृपम्the king

अश्वमेधम्the Ashvamedha (horse-sacrifice)

प्रतिtowards, with regard to

तदाat that time

ततःthen, thereafter

सःhe

अन्तर्हितःhidden, disappeared

अभवत्became, was

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vyāsa

Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja, Dharmātmaja)

Aśvamedha (sacrifice/rite)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king’s authority is to be re-established through dharmic means: guided by sages, he undertakes lawful rites not for vanity but for restoring social and moral order after upheaval. The sage’s disappearance underscores non-attachment—teaching without clinging to power or presence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Vyāsa exhorts Yudhiṣṭhira to perform the Aśvamedha sacrifice. After giving this instruction, Vyāsa becomes invisible and departs, leaving the king to carry out the rite.