Shloka 21

Parīkṣit-janma-saṃkaṭa and Kuntī’s petition to Vāsudeva (परिक्षिज्जन्मसंकटं कुन्त्याः प्रार्थना च)

Devanagari script

एतेष्वादाय तद्‌ द्रव्यं पुनरभ्यर्च्य पाण्डव: । महादेवं प्रति ययौ पुरं नागाह्दयं प्रति

Transliteration

eteṣv ādāya tad dravyaṃ punar abhyarcya pāṇḍavaḥ | mahādevaṃ prati yayau puraṃ nāgāhṛdayaṃ prati, dvaipāyanābhyanujñātaḥ puraskṛtya purohitam ||

Translation

Sau khi cho chất của cải ấy lên các cỗ xe, vị Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) lại một lần nữa cử hành lễ bái và tôn kính. Được Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) cho phép, và đặt vị tư tế gia tộc đi đầu, ông lên đường hướng về thành Nāgāhṛdaya, một lòng sùng kính Mahādeva. Đoạn này nêu bật bổn phận đạo đức của bậc vương giả: những việc bố thí và trị quốc lớn lao phải được thánh hóa bằng khiêm cung, nghi lễ đúng phép và sự kính thuận quyền uy tâm linh.

Word by Word

• एतेषु: among/with these (vehicles/items)
• एतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Plural

• आदाय: having taken/loaded
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: Lyap (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), Non-finite

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• द्रव्यम्: wealth/material
• द्रव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• अभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अर्च्
• Form: Lyap (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), Non-finite

• पाण्डवः: the Pandava (Yudhishthira)
• पाण्डवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महादेवम्: Mahadeva (Shiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रति: towards
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• ययौ: went
• Type: Verb
• Root: या
• Form: Lit (Perfect), Parasmaipada, 3rd, Singular

• पुरम्: to the city
• पुरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• नागाह्वयम्: called ‘Naga’ (i.e., Hastinapura)
• नागाह्वयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नागाह्वय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रति: towards
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति

• द्वैपायन: by Dvaipayana (Vyasa)
• द्वैपायन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वैपायन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अभ्यनुज्ञातः: having been permitted/authorized
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि + अनु + ज्ञा
• Form: Kta (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरस्कृत्य: having placed in front/having led with
• Type: Verb
• Root: पुरस् + कृ
• Form: Lyap (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), Non-finite

• पुरोहितम्: the priest
• पुरोहितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरोहित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)
• Purohita (family priest; contextually Dhaumya)
• Nāgāhṛdaya (city/place)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even after immense royal acts involving wealth and power, a righteous king re-centers himself through worship, humility, and obedience to spiritual counsel—showing that dharma requires both material responsibility and reverence for higher moral authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira has the wealth loaded onto the conveyances, performs worship again, receives Vyāsa’s permission, places the royal priest in front, and then departs toward the city called Nāgāhṛdaya, proceeding in devotion to Mahādeva.