Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्रस्य वनप्रस्थानानुज्ञा | Permission for Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Forest-Retirement
समवेतांश्व॒ तान् सर्वान् पौरान् जानपदांस्तथा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | samavetāṁś ca tān sarvān paurān jānapadāṁs tathā | brahmo va bhagavān eṣa sarvabhūta-jagat-patiḥ | (evam eva mahābāhur bhīmārjuna-yamair vṛtaḥ |) yudhiṣṭhiro mahātejā bhavataḥ pālayiṣyati ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Todos vós, cidadãos e homens do campo aqui reunidos—este Yudhiṣṭhira, de braços poderosos e brilho radiante, cercado por Bhīma, Arjuna e os irmãos gêmeos (Nakula e Sahadeva)—vos protegerá do mesmo modo. Como Brahmā, o Senhor bem-aventurado de todos os seres e do mundo, ele vos guardará sem parcialidade, tal como faziam os justos de outrora.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s legitimacy is grounded in impartial protection of all subjects. Yudhiṣṭhira is presented as an ethical ruler whose duty (rājadharma) is to maintain order and welfare like a cosmic guardian—governing without bias and supported by capable brothers.
The narrator describes an address to assembled citizens and countryfolk, assuring them that Yudhiṣṭhira—attended by Bhīma, Arjuna, and the twins—will continue to protect and govern them properly, likened to Brahmā as a model of sustaining the world’s order.