Shloka 33
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
ह्वी: श्री: कीर्तिद्युति: पुष्टिरमा लक्ष्मी: सरस्वती | इमा वै तव पान्थस्य पालयन्तु धनंजय,धनंजय! ही, श्री, कीर्ति, द्युति, पुष्टि, उमा, लक्ष्मी और सरस्वती--ये सब देवियाँ मार्गमें जाते समय आपकी रक्षा करें
hrīḥ śrīḥ kīrtidyutiḥ puṣṭir umā lakṣmīḥ sarasvatī | imā vai tava pānthasya pālayantu dhanaṃjaya dhanaṃjaya ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “May these goddesses—Modesty, Prosperity, Fame and Radiance, Nourishment, Umā, Lakṣmī, and Sarasvatī—indeed protect you, O Dhanaṃjaya, as you travel upon your path.” The blessing frames the journey as one that should be guarded not only by strength but by virtues and auspicious powers that sustain righteous conduct.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a righteous journey is safeguarded by inner virtues (modesty, good repute, radiance, flourishing) and by alignment with auspicious divine powers (Umā, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī). It implies that success and safety depend not merely on force but on ethical restraint, prosperity used well, and wisdom in speech and action.
Vaiśaṃpāyana offers a benediction to Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna), invoking a set of personified virtues and major goddesses to protect him as a traveler on his path, emphasizing auspicious guardianship during a significant undertaking.