Shloka 24
Chapter 26: Śoka-pratiṣedha, Hata-saṅkhyā, Gati-vibhāga, Pretakārya-ājñā
Restraint of Grief, Count of the Slain, Destinies, and Funerary Directives
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्तो महाराज कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर: । आदिदेश सुधर्माणं धौम्यं सूतं च संजयम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca evam ukto mahārāja kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | ādi-deśa sudharmāṇaṃ dhaumyaṃ sūtaṃ ca sañjayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Thus addressed, King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī, issued instructions to Sudharmā, to Dhaumya, to the charioteer, and to Sañjaya—setting in motion the duties that remained in the wake of calamity, in accordance with propriety and righteous order.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid collective grief, righteous leadership expresses itself through orderly action: the king upholds dharma by assigning appropriate responsibilities to trusted persons—priestly, administrative, and communicative—so that necessary rites and social duties proceed with propriety.
After being addressed (in the surrounding context of the Strī Parva’s lamentation and post-war rites), Yudhiṣṭhira issues directives to Sudharmā, the priest Dhaumya, a charioteer attendant, and Sañjaya, indicating the commencement of coordinated actions that follow the catastrophe of the war.