Shloka 10
Puṣkara-Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Phala of Pilgrimage
Nārada–Yudhiṣṭhira; Pulastya–Bhīṣma Transmission
सर्वे संन्यवसंस्तत्र सोत्कण्ठा: पुरुषर्षभा: | अह्ृष्टमनस: सर्वे गते राजन् धनंजये,राजन्! धनंजयके चले जानेपर वे सभी नरश्रेष्ठ वहाँ खिन्नचित्त हो उन्हींके लिये उत्कण्ठित होकर रहते थे
sarve saṃnyavasan tatra sotkaṇṭhāḥ puruṣarṣabhāḥ | ahṛṣṭamanasaḥ sarve gate rājan dhanaṃjaye ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna) had departed, all those bull-like men remained there, dwelling together in one place—every one of them joyless at heart and filled with longing for him, O King. The verse underscores how the absence of a righteous and capable leader can weigh upon companions, revealing their dependence, affection, and the moral gravity of separation in a dharmic quest.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and emotional dimension of dharmic leadership: when a capable, righteous figure departs on duty, companions may remain outwardly steady yet inwardly dejected and longing. It points to loyalty, mutual dependence, and the cost of responsibility borne by both the one who goes and those who stay.
After Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna) has gone away, the remaining heroes stay together at that place. They are not cheerful; instead, they are preoccupied with concern and yearning for him, while the narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana reports this to the king.