Shloka 23
भारत! धीरस्वभाववाले पुरोहित धौम्यजी कुशोंका अग्रभाग नै#ऋत्यकोणकी ओर करके यमदेवतासम्बन्धी साम-मन्त्रोंका गान करते हुए पाण्डवोंके आगे-आगे जा रहे हैं ।। हतेषु भारतेष्वाजौी कुरूणां गुरवस्तदा । एवं सामानि गास्यन्तीत्युक्त्वा धौम्योडपि गच्छति
bhārata! dhīra-svabhāva-vān purohito dhaumyajī kuśānām agra-bhāgaṃ nairṛtya-koṇābhimukhaṃ kṛtvā yamadevatā-sambandhīni sāma-mantrāṇi gāyan pāṇḍavānām agre agre gacchati. hateṣu bhārateṣv ājau kurūṇāṃ guravas tadā; evaṃ sāmāni gāsyantīti uktvā dhaumyo 'pi gacchati.
Vidura said: “O Bhārata, the steadfast priest Dhaumya, taking the tips of the kuśa grass and turning them toward the south‑western quarter, proceeds ahead of the Pāṇḍavas while chanting Sāman hymns connected with Yama. Saying, ‘When the Kurus’ elders have been slain in battle, I too shall chant such Sāman hymns,’ Dhaumya goes on.”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma through ritual and moral forewarning: even sacred chant and priestly conduct can function as an ethical signal that adharma leads to death and accountability under Yama, the judge of the dead.
Vidura describes Dhaumya walking ahead of the Pāṇḍavas while performing a death-associated ritual orientation with kuśa grass and chanting Sāmaveda hymns linked to Yama, implying ominously that the Kuru elders are destined to fall in the coming conflict.