Shloka 4
Āśramāgamanam — The Pāṇḍavas Arrive at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Hermitage
पाण्डवोंसहित धर्मात्मा धृतराष्ट्र पवित्र एवं एकाग्रचित्त हो उन ऋषियोंके साथ व्यासजीके निकट जा बैठे। कुरुकुलकी सारी स्त्रियाँ एक साथ हो गान्धारीके समीप बैठ गयीं तथा नगर और जनपदके निवासी भी अवस्थाके अनुसार यथास्थान विराजमान हो गये ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | pāṇḍavaiḥ sahito dharmātmā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ pavitra evaṃ ekāgracitto ho ṛṣibhiḥ saha vyāsasya nikaṭaṃ jagāma upaviśya ca | kurukulasyāḥ sarvāḥ striyaḥ ekatra bhūtvā gāndhāryāḥ samīpe niṣeduḥ, nagara-janapada-nivāsinaś ca yathāvasthaṃ yathāsthānaṃ virājamānā babhūvuḥ || tato vyāso mahātejāḥ puṇyaṃ bhāgīrathī-jalam avagāhya ājuhāva atha sarvān lokān mahāmuniḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Dhṛtarāṣṭra yang berhati dharma duduk dekat Vyāsa bersama para Pāṇḍava—dengan tubuh dan jiwa yang disucikan serta fikiran yang tertumpu satu arah—dalam kalangan para resi. Semua wanita keturunan Kuru duduk berhimpun dekat Gāndhārī, dan penduduk kota serta desa mengambil tempat masing-masing menurut darjat dan keadaan. Kemudian Resi agung Vyāsa yang bersinar wibawa memasuki air suci Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā) lalu menyeru segenap alam—memanggil semua yang terkait dengan pihak Pāṇḍava dan Kaurava agar menampakkan diri.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames ethical restoration after catastrophe: purification, mental collectedness, and respectful social order precede a sacred act. Vyāsa’s ritual authority suggests that reconciliation with the past—through dharma and sanctifying rites—can transform grief into insight rather than revenge.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, accompanied by the Pāṇḍavas and sages, sits near Vyāsa; the Kuru women gather by Gāndhārī; the wider populace sits in proper order. Vyāsa then enters the Gaṅgā and performs an invocation, summoning beings across realms—contextually, those connected to both Pāṇḍava and Kaurava sides.