Yudhishṭhira

Yudhishṭhira, also called Dharmarāja, was the eldest of the five Pāṇḍavas. He was the son of Kuntī and Dharma-deva, who is also known as Yama. He was born in the forest of Śatasṛṅga on the Jyeshṭhā nakshatra (lunar star), when Kuntī called upon Dharma on behalf of Pāṇḍu. From birth he was marked by complete truthfulness and a true sense of dharma.

He trained under Droṇācārya at Hastināpura with his brothers and the Kauravas. His great character led Dhṛtarāshṭra to make him yuvarāja (crown prince). This made Duryodhana jealous, and it began the conflict that the Mahābhārata tells. After the Kurukshetra war he became emperor of Hastināpura. The Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa uses his reign as the setting for its opening events. His rule was marked by dharmic government and three aśvamedha yajñas (horse-sacrifices) performed with Kṛshṇa’s guidance. He looked after the Kuru empire until it passed to his grandson Parīkshit. When Kali came, he gave up the throne and led the Pāṇḍavas on their last journey, the mahāprasthāna (the great departure).

Birth

Yudhishṭhira was the first son born through the divine mantra that Kuntī had received from the ṛshi Durvāsa in her youth. With Pāṇḍu’s consent, Kuntī called upon Dharma. Dharma is the deva of righteousness and cosmic order, also known as Yama and Dharmarāja. The son was born on the Jyeshṭhā nakshatra. A voice from the sky declared at his birth that he would be the greatest among the dharmic and the most truthful of men. This is told in the Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapters 120–140.

Training and appointment as yuvarāja

Yudhishṭhira grew up in the forests of the Himālaya. After Pāṇḍu’s death he lived in Hastināpura. Droṇācārya trained him, with his brothers and the Kauravas, in all the learning of a kshatriya: the Vedas, dhanurveda (archery and warfare) and statecraft. Among the five brothers, Yudhishṭhira was first in the qualities of a ruler. His judgment was balanced, his truthfulness was complete, and his sense of dharma could be trusted.

As the Pāṇḍavas grew up, their skill showed at the āstra-darśana (the display of weapons) and in their campaigns. The people of Hastināpura saw Yudhishṭhira as the ideal future king. Bhīshma pressed for his formal appointment. Dhṛtarāshṭra preferred Duryodhana, but he had to install Yudhishṭhira as yuvarāja. This made Duryodhana jealous, and it was a main cause of the growing hostility of the Kauravas. This is told in the Ādi Parva, Chapters 120–140.

Sabhā Parva: the dice game

The duty of a kshatriya

In the Dyūta Parva, Dhṛtarāshṭra called Yudhishṭhira to a dice game at Hastināpura. Yudhishṭhira understood from the start what he was walking into. The Mahābhārata records that he knew Śakuni’s dice were loaded, and that he said so before the game began. He also said that playing against a player of deceptive, superior skill was itself a breach of dharma. He knew the game would ruin him. He came anyway, because a kshatriya who is called to a dice game must, by the code of his station, accept. He said:

“All beings are under the sway of fate. When I am called to this game, even knowing the outcome, I cannot refuse. I know Śakuni’s dice are loaded. I know this will destroy me. I come anyway.”

Silent grief

As the game went on, Yudhishṭhira lost everything: his wealth, his kingdom, his brothers, himself, and at last Draupadī. He sat in grief. The text speaks of his silence more than of his words. Draupadī was dragged into the assembly and cried out to the Pāṇḍavas, and Yudhishṭhira could not speak. She sent her famous question to the assembly, asking whether she was staked before or after he lost his own freedom. Yudhishṭhira sat and did not answer. This is told in the Sabhā Parva, Dyūta Parva and Anudyūta Parva, Chapters 47–81.

The departure

In the Anudyūta Parva, the second dice game sent the Pāṇḍavas into thirteen years of exile. Yudhishṭhira took formal leave of all the elders of Hastināpura before he left. He is described as covering his face, which showed his grief and shame, and he did not protest or boast. He took leave of Kṛpācārya, Bhīshma, Droṇa and the other teachers. He sent Kuntī to stay at the house of Vidura. Then he walked out of Hastināpura into the forest. Dhaumya went before him, chanting the Yama-sāmans, and his brothers and Draupadī followed behind. This is told in the Sabhā Parva, Dyūta Parva and Anudyūta Parva, Chapters 47–81.

Vana Parva: the forest exile

When the Pāṇḍavas left Hastināpura after the dice game, Yudhishṭhira led his brothers and Draupadī into twelve years of forest exile. The purohita (family priest) Dhaumya and many brāhmaṇas went with them. Citizens followed them from the city, and he asked them to go back, speaking with compassion about their duties.

On the advice of the ṛshi Śaunaka, he took instruction in yoga and vairāgya (detachment). He received the Akshayapātra, the vessel that never empties, from Bhagavān Sūrya. On Vyāsa’s instruction he passed on the Pratismṛti vidyā (knowledge) to Arjuna. He had a deep talk with Draupadī about kshamā (forbearance) and pratāpa (fierce action), and explained why patience was now the right dharma. While Arjuna was away, he went on a tīrtha-yātrā (journey to holy places) under the guidance of Lomaśa. This is told in the Vana Parva, Chapters 1–13.

Gandhamādana and the abduction by Jaṭāsura

The Pāṇḍavas were on Gandhamādana. A rākshasa named Jaṭāsura had been living in their camp disguised as a brāhmaṇa. He showed his true nature when Bhīma was away from the group. Jaṭāsura seized Yudhishṭhira, Nakula, Sahadeva and Draupadī, together with the weapons of the Pāṇḍavas, and tried to carry them away through the sky.

Although he was captured, Yudhishṭhira resisted. He made himself supernaturally heavy, a power attributed to his śakti (strength). This hampered the flight of the rākshasa and gave time until Bhīma arrived. Bhīma caught up with Jaṭāsura, killed him and freed the captives. This is told in the Vana Parva, Chapter 157.

Virāṭa Parva: the year in disguise

In the thirteenth year of exile, Yudhishṭhira took the name Kaṅka Bhaṭṭa. He presented himself to King Virāṭa of Matsya as a brāhmaṇa skilled at dice who had once been a companion of Yudhishṭhira. Virāṭa welcomed him into the royal court as a companion and adviser. This is told in the Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 7.

His dharma was tested at every turn during the year. The most painful test came when Kīcaka kicked Draupadī in Virāṭa’s court, in public. Kīcaka was the powerful commander-in-chief and the brother of Queen Sudeshṇā. Yudhishṭhira, who sat nearby as Kaṅka, saw this act of adharma. He held back his anger with great self-control, because any response would have shown who they were. He also held back the burning Bhīma. This was one of the costliest sacrifices he made during the ajñātavāsa (the year of living in disguise). This is told in the Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 16.

When Suśarman captured Virāṭa in the cattle raid in the south, Yudhishṭhira told Bhīma and the others to rescue him. When Suśarman was taken, Yudhishṭhira showed his usual greatness of heart. He ordered Suśarman to be set free, with only a warning to live truthfully from then on. This is told in the Virāṭa Parva, Chapters 30–33.

Near the very end of the thirteenth year, Virāṭa struck Yudhishṭhira on the nose with a dice piece, in a moment of irritation. Yudhishṭhira took the blow in silence, to protect the dharma of the ajñātavāsa. When his blood began to flow, Draupadī caught it before it touched the ground. She knew that a drop of Yudhishṭhira’s blood falling to the earth in anger would bring terrible results. After the year was over, Virāṭa asked his forgiveness. Yudhishṭhira said simply: “My anger departed long ago. I do not retain it even now.” This is told in the Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 68.

The parva ends with the Pāṇḍavas making themselves known to Virāṭa. Virāṭa offered his whole kingdom to Yudhishṭhira. Abhimanyu was married to Uttarā at Upaplavya, and Yudhishṭhira presided over the wedding together with Kṛshṇa. This is told in the Virāṭa Parva, Chapters 1–72.

Bhīshma Parva: despair before the battle and the rules of war

The rules of war (Chapter 1)

On the morning of the battle, both sides gathered. Yudhishṭhira presided over the formal setting of the Yuddha Niyamas, the rules of conduct for the war that all sides agreed to. He led this act of setting dharma for the war, which shows his place as the guardian of dharma in the conflict. He also made sure that all his soldiers had good food and proper beds, and that they carried signs by which allies could be known in the confusion of battle. This is told in the Bhīshma Parva, Chapter 1.

Despair at Bhīshma’s formation

When the armies were fully set out, Yudhishṭhira looked at Bhīshma’s unbreakable formation. He was seized with deep despair. He said to Arjuna:

“Dhanañjaya! How can we fight the Dhārtarāshṭras when Bhīshma Pitāmaha is their premier warrior? He has fashioned a formation that is unbreakable, unassailable by every śāstrīya method. We and our entire army have fallen into mortal danger. How will we be delivered from this Bhīshma-vyūha?”

It was Arjuna, not Kṛshṇa, who gave him comfort. He recalled Brahmā’s teaching that victory follows dharma, and Nārada’s teaching that victory is wherever Kṛshṇa is. Arjuna’s words restored Yudhishṭhira’s resolve, and the army marched on again. This is told in the Bhīshma Parva, Chapter 1.

His place in the Vajra Vyūha

Yudhishṭhira commanded the whole Pāṇḍava Vajra Vyūha. He stood in the centre of the formation on his chariot, which was like Indra’s, surrounded by the elephant corps, and Dhṛshṭadyumna guarded him. The formation faced east. The Pāṇḍavas were the army of the devas, facing the Kaurava army of the daityas, which faced west. This is told in the Bhīshma Parva, Chapter 1.

Strī Parva: grief, Kuntī’s secret, and the śāpa

In the Strī Parva, Yudhishṭhira goes with Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī and the Pāṇḍavas to the battlefield of Kurukshetra. They perform the rites of mourning after the war, and then go to the Gaṅgā for the jala pradāna (the offering of water for the dead). He sees Dhṛtarāshṭra’s meeting with the iron statue. Kṛshṇa had placed it there in another man’s place, to protect him from Dhṛtarāshṭra’s grief and rage. Yudhishṭhira then came before Gāndhārī with a heart full of grief and respect. Gāndhārī received him with pain and love. He was the victor, and his victory had come through the death of her sons.

The most shattering moment of the Strī Parva for Yudhishṭhira came when Kuntī told that Karṇa was her firstborn son, born of Sūrya before her marriage to Pāṇḍu. Karṇa had died fighting for the Kaurava side. He was the eldest of the brothers. Had this been known, he would have been king by birth. The war had destroyed the very man whom it might have made king.

Yudhishṭhira was overcome with grief and anger. He grieved for a brother he had never known as a brother. He was angry at the secrecy that had made the killing of a brother possible. In the pain of this moment he pronounced a śāpa (a curse) on all women: from then on, no woman would be able to keep a secret. This is told in the Strī Parva, Chapters 12–15.

Śānti Parva: grief and the teaching

The Śānti Parva opens with Yudhishṭhira in deep sorrow, mahāśoka, after the Kurukshetra war. He had seen the bodies of Bhīshma, Droṇa, Karṇa and a hundred thousand warriors who died because he was king. He was crushed by guilt and refused to accept the kingdom. He wished to give up everything and go to the forest.

His brothers, Draupadī, Vyāsa, Nārada and above all Kṛshṇa told him that renunciation now was adharma. A king who turns away from his duty at the moment of victory abandons the very people who need him most. At this point Kṛshṇa tells him the secret of Karṇa’s true identity: Kuntī’s confession that Karṇa was her firstborn. This deepened Yudhishṭhira’s grief further. This is told in the Śānti Parva, Chapters 1–5.

After he was persuaded to accept the throne, he entered Hastināpura. Here there was a short crisis when the brahmarākshasa Cārvāka spoke against him. Then Yudhishṭhira went with Kṛshṇa to Bhīshma’s bed of arrows at Kurukshetra to receive the full teaching on rājadharma (the dharma of kings). His questions to Bhīshma shape the whole teaching of the Śānti Parva:

“Among all dharmas, O king, the learned say rājadharma is supreme. It is the support of the entire world. Like a bridle for a horse, like a goad for an elephant, rājadharma is the restraint of the world. Teach me rājadharma in full.”

This is told in the Śānti Parva, Chapter 56.

The teachings Yudhishṭhira received were these: the saptāṅga (the seven limbs of the state), the shāḍguṇya (the six policies), the maṇḍala theory, the daśa vyasanas (the ten vices of kings), the origin of nītiśāstra (the science of policy), the narrative of Vena and Pṛthu, the upākhyāna (story) of Paraśurāma, and varṇāśrama dharma. They formed the basis of his later reign as a dharmic emperor. This is told in the Śānti Parva (Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva), Chapters 1–60.

Anuśāsana Parva: last questions, leave, and coronation

Chapters 150–166

Yudhishṭhira went on questioning Bhīshma through the closing chapters of the Anuśāsana Parva. The topics were:

• the Sāvitrī mantra
• the glory of brāhmaṇas
• the Pavana-Arjuna-Saṃvāda
• Bhīshma’s Viśvarūpa-stotra of Kṛshṇa
• the Durvāsa episode
• the praise of Bhagavān Śiva
• how dharma is known, through pratyaksha (what is seen) and āgama (scripture)
• the Vaṃśānukīrtanam

When his doubts were finished, Vyāsa asked Bhīshma to give Yudhishṭhira leave to return to Hastināpura and take up the rule of the kingdom. Bhīshma advised him to perform great yajñas as Yayāti had done. He told him to please the devas and the pitṛs (the ancestors), to satisfy his subjects and officers, to honour his allies, and to return to him only when Uttarāyaṇa came. Yudhishṭhira agreed. He left for Hastināpura with Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī, his brothers and Kṛshṇa. This is told in the Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 166.

Bhīshma Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 167–168

At Hastināpura, Yudhishṭhira honoured his weary subjects with gifts. He comforted the widows of the fallen with dāna (gifts) and settled every officer of state. He was formally consecrated (paṭṭābhishikta) as emperor and took the blessings of the assembled brāhmaṇas. He stayed in his capital for fifty nights, keeping in mind the hour his grandfather had named.

When he saw the sun turn north into Uttarāyaṇa, he set out at once for Kurukshetra with the ṛtvijas (priests). He carried ghee, garlands, sandal, agaru, silks and gems for the coming rites of Bhīshma. He was accompanied by Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī, his brothers, Janārdana (Kṛshṇa), Vidura, Yuyutsu and Sātyaki. Singers of hymns chanted as the company followed the sacred fires of Bhīshma.

At Kurukshetra, Yudhishṭhira found Vyāsa, Nārada and Asita Devala already seated by his grandfather. He bowed to Bhīshma and the assembled ṛshis. He spoke directly to the still form on the bed of arrows:

“I am Yudhishṭhira. I have taken up your fires and come at the hour you named… open your eyes.”

Bhīshma woke. He counted that fifty-eight nights had passed since his fall. He gave his final teachings to Dhṛtarāshṭra and Kṛshṇa. Then, in the sight of Yudhishṭhira and all who were present, he drew his prāṇa (life-breath) up through the cakras of the body in yoga and departed. The wounds of his arrows fell away limb by limb as his prāṇa left them. Then it burst out through the crown of his skull as a great ulkā (meteor) of light.

Yudhishṭhira, with Vidura and Yuyutsu, performed the funeral rites. Nakula and Sahadeva held Bhīshma’s crown and turban at the pyre. This is told in the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīshma Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 167–168.

Aśvamedhika Parva: Kṛshṇa’s last consolation and the taking up of rule

Chapters 11–15

Bhagavān Vyāsa had already spoken to Yudhishṭhira. Yet he was still dimmed, “like the sun seized by Rāhu, like Agni smothered in smoke”. Then Kṛshṇa himself gave a long consolation. Kṛshṇa taught him that śoka (grief) is destroyed by brahma-jñāna (knowledge of Brahman) alone. He told him:

• the secret Indra-Vṛtra ākhyāna (account), in Chapter 11
• the teaching of the Ātmayuddha, that the battle now to be fought is with the mind alone, in Chapter 12
• the Kāmagīta, the song of Kāma, who cannot be killed by any single outside means, in Chapter 13

Kṛshṇa ended by urging Yudhishṭhira to turn away from repeated grief over the dead and towards the great Aśvamedha yajña. This is told in the Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 11–13.

Consoled at last, Yudhishṭhira performed the preta-kāryas (rites for the dead) for all his kinsmen. He honoured the devas and brāhmaṇas, and took up the rule of the earth, which the ocean clothes like a garment (sāgara-vastra), with a settled mind. He asked Vyāsa, Nārada and the assembled maharshis to go with him to the Himavat. Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa (Kṛshṇa) himself, Nārada and Devasthāna spoke many auspicious words. Then the maharshis vanished before all present.

Yudhishṭhira stayed at Kurukshetra to finish the śauca rites and the dānas for Bhīshma, Karṇa and the other Kuru dead, together with Dhṛtarāshṭra. After this he entered Hastināpura to rule with his brothers. This is told in the Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 14.

With the kingdom settled, Kṛshṇa told Arjuna in the Maya-sabhā that his purpose in Bhārata was done and that he wished to return to Dvārakā. He praised Yudhishṭhira at length: “That Pāṇḍu-son, though worthy to command even us, allowed himself to be guided by us… Dharmajña, kṛtajña, and ever truthful, that son of Dharma holds within him satya, dharma, subtle buddhi, and unwavering pravṛtti at all times.” He asked Arjuna to give his farewell to Yudhishṭhira directly. This scene closes the Aśvamedhika Parva proper. This is told in the Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapter 15.

The order not to kill (Chapters 72, 74, 76, 78)

Yudhishṭhira sent Arjuna out as guardian of the Aśvamedha horse. He gave him one clear and repeated charge: “Whatever kings oppose you, conduct yourself so that no lasting enmity (vaira) arises with them” (Chapter 72). This order runs through the whole digvijaya (campaign of conquest) that follows, and returns three times in almost the same form:

• Against the sons of the slain Trigarta warriors, Arjuna recalls Yudhishṭhira’s order not to kill the kin of those already slain in the war. He spares every one of them once they submit (Chapter 74).
• Against Vajradatta, son of Bhagadatta, Arjuna states the order in his own words at the moment of victory: “My brother Yudhishṭhira, when I set out, commanded me: do not kill any king henceforth” (Chapter 76).
• Against the Saindhava princes, kin of Jayadratha, Arjuna again recalls the same restraint, before Duśśalā’s direct plea completes the mercy (Chapter 78).

This is told in the Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 72, 74, 76, 78.

Āśramavāsika Parva: Dhṛtarāshṭra’s renunciation and the great gift

Chapters 1–14

For fifteen years after Kurukshetra, Yudhishṭhira served Dhṛtarāshṭra and Gāndhārī with unbroken devotion. He asked Dhṛtarāshṭra’s blessing every day and deferred to him in every matter of state. He told his brothers that anyone who caused the old king even a moment’s grief must be treated as an enemy.

Dhṛtarāshṭra was overcome by the memory of his own part in the war. He asked leave to go to the forest with Gāndhārī. At first Yudhishṭhira refused outright. He called himself the only cause of his elder’s suffering. He offered to install Yuyutsu or another in his own place and go to the forest himself, rather than let his guru (elder) leave. Dhṛtarāshṭra was weakened by an eight-day fast and fainted into Gāndhārī’s lap. Only then did Yudhishṭhira give way far enough to ask that he first take food. Yudhishṭhira gave his consent only when Vyāsa stepped in directly. Vyāsa told him not to block so natural a wish in an aged rājarshi (royal ṛshi) who had no sons left. This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 3–4.

Before he left, Dhṛtarāshṭra gave Yudhishṭhira a long discourse on rājanīti (the policy of kings). It covered the state with eight limbs, the maṇḍala of kings, the shāḍguṇya, the vaitasī-vṛtti, the make-up of an army, and the threefold power of kings. Yudhishṭhira received all of it and promised to follow it exactly. This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 5–7.

At Dhṛtarāshṭra’s request, Yudhishṭhira then called the citizens together for the formal farewell. He received from Dhṛtarāshṭra the nyāsa (trust) of the kingdom and its people. He heard the Bahvṛca brāhmaṇa Sāmba answer on behalf of the citizens that the ruin of the war was daiva (fate) and not the fault of the Kuru kings. This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 8–10.

Dhṛtarāshṭra, through Vidura, asked to perform śrāddha for Bhīshma, Droṇa, Somadatta, Bāhlīka and even Jayadratha the Saindhava. Only Bhīma objected, recalling the exile and the humiliation of Draupadī. Arjuna rebuked him. Yudhishṭhira told Bhīma not to hold the matter against their uncle. He directed Vidura to tell Dhṛtarāshṭra that he could draw without limit on the treasuries of Yudhishṭhira and Arjuna: “this body and this wealth are yours.” Every gift that Dhṛtarāshṭra proposed during the ten-day dāna-yajña that followed, Yudhishṭhira had multiplied tenfold by his lekhakas (clerks) and gaṇakas (accountants). This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 11–14.

Chapters 26, 28, 31, 37–39

Yudhishṭhira and his brothers visited Dhṛtarāshṭra’s forest āśrama. Yudhishṭhira alone followed the thin Vidura deep into the forest. Through Vidura’s own act of yoga, Vidura’s prāṇa, senses and limbs merged into Yudhishṭhira’s body. Then a voice with no body forbade Yudhishṭhira to cremate the empty body, and said that Vidura had reached yatidharma (the state of a renunciant). This is told in Chapter 26.

The next day Vyāsa revealed that Vidura had been Dharma-devatā himself, born under Māṇḍavya’s śāpa. He revealed that Yudhishṭhira too was an aṃśa (part) of that same Dharma, who had “beheld the son of Kuntī and entered into him.” Vyāsa repeated this before Gāndhārī in Chapter 31, at the Gaṅgā, as part of his roll-call of the true divine identity of every fallen warrior.

Two years after his return to Hastināpura, Yudhishṭhira heard from Nārada that Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī and Kuntī had died together in a forest fire at Gaṅgādvāra. He spoke at length of his grief, which dwelt above all on Kuntī. It ended in a bitter charge against Agni as kṛtaghna (ungrateful). He recalled that Savyasācī (Arjuna) had once fully satisfied Agni at Khāṇḍava, and yet that same deva had now burned the mother of the Pāṇḍavas.

Nārada then explained that Dhṛtarāshṭra had gone to his own sacred agnihotra fire and not an ordinary fire. This settled Yudhishṭhira’s complaint. Yudhishṭhira then performed the udaka-kriyā (water rite), the tarpaṇa and the full śrāddha, with lavish dāna, for all three. Yuyutsu led the rites. This closed the Āśramavāsika Parva. This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 26, 28, 31, 37–39.

Mausala Parva: the thirty-sixth year and the news of the Yādava ruin

In the thirty-sixth year after Yudhishṭhira had won the kingdom, Dharmarāja saw dreadful and strange omens. Fierce winds blew, carrying dust and gravel. Birds circled to the left. The great rivers ran dry, fog wrapped the horizons, and blazing meteors fell from the sky. The sun rose girdled by a headless trunk, and terrible haloes of three colours ringed the sun and the moon.

In time Yudhishṭhira heard that a terrible battle with pestles had broken out among the Vṛshṇis, and that Vāsudeva and Balarāma had left the world. The Pāṇḍavas could not at first believe that the wielder of the Śārṅga bow had passed away. They sank into grief, thinking of the ruin that the mushala (pestle) born of the brāhmaṇa śāpa had brought. This is told in the Mausala Parva, Chapter 1.

At the very end of the parva, Arjuna had received from Vyāsa the teaching that everything is rooted in Kāla (time), and that the hour of the Pāṇḍavas’ own departure had come. Arjuna returned to Hastināpura and told Yudhishṭhira in full all that had happened to the houses of the Vṛshṇis and Andhakas. In this way the Mausala Parva sets in motion Yudhishṭhira’s decision to make the mahāprasthāna. This is told in the Mausala Parva, Chapter 8.

Mahā Prasthānika Parva: the great departure and the ascent

Arjuna’s news confirmed the ruin of the Vṛshṇis and the passing of Kṛshṇa. Yudhishṭhira resolved to lay down the life of a householder. He told Arjuna that Kāla ripens all beings, that he now accepted the noose of Kāla, and that he wished to give up the body. His brothers agreed.

Before he left, he put the world in order. He placed the administration in the hands of Yuyutsu. He consecrated Parīkshit as king at Hastināpura and the Yādava Vajra at Indraprastha. He charged Subhadrā to guard them and not to think of following him. He performed the tarpaṇa and śrāddha for Vāsudeva, for his uncle Vasudeva, for Balarāma and for the slain kin. He honoured Vyāsa, Nārada, Mārkaṇḍeya, Bharadvāja and Yājñavalkya with lavish gifts. He entrusted Parīkshit as a pupil to Kṛpācārya.

The citizens protested, but he calmed them. He took off his ornaments for garments of bark, performed the last utsarga-ishṭi, and released the sacred fires into the waters. This is told in the Mahā Prasthānika Parva, Chapter 1.

Yudhishṭhira walked at the head, followed by his brothers, Draupadī and a dog. He went east, fasting and absorbed in yoga, to the sea of Lauhitya, where Agni had made Arjuna give up the Gāṇḍīva bow to Varuṇa. Then he passed the sea-covered Dvārakā and turned north across the Himavat towards Meru. Draupadī, Sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna and Bhīma fell one after another. For each he named the fault that brought them down. Without turning back, he walked on with only the dog for company. This is told in the Mahā Prasthānika Parva, Chapter 2.

Indra came down with his chariot and told him to leave the dog, since dogs have no place in svarga (heaven). Yudhishṭhira refused. He said that to abandon a devoted being who asks for refuge is equal to the four great pāpas (sins): frightening one who asks for help, killing a woman, stealing a brāhmaṇa’s wealth, and betraying a friend. He would not enter svarga at such a price.

The dog then showed himself as Dharma (Yama). Dharma praised him, recalled his earlier test at Dvaitavana, and gave him the highest divine goal in his own mortal body. Yudhishṭhira was carried upwards among the devas, while Nārada proclaimed that no king had ever equalled him. Even so, Yudhishṭhira said that he wanted no world apart from the place where his brothers and Draupadī had gone. This longing is carried on into the Svargārohaṇa Parva. This is told in the Mahā Prasthānika Parva, Chapter 3.

Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa: the reign, Vidura, and Kali

The reign

After the Kurukshetra war, Kṛshṇa restored the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas. Yudhishṭhira was troubled by the pāpa (sin) of killing his kinsmen. He performed three aśvamedha yajñas with generous provision and many priests, with the presence and blessing of Kṛshṇa. The fame of these yajñas spread in all four directions.

He recovered treasure from the north, the gold vessels left from the yajña of Marutta Mahārāja. His brothers supported him, and Kṛshṇa encouraged him. He used this treasure for the cost of the yajña. This is told in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 12.

Reception of Vidura

When Vidura returned from his tīrtha-yātrā, Yudhishṭhira went to welcome him with every honour. He thanked Vidura for saving the Pāṇḍavas from danger, such as poison and the fire of the house of lac, when their own father’s household wished to harm them. He treated Vidura as a deva. This is told in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 13.

Dhṛtarāshṭra’s departure found

Yudhishṭhira came back from his morning prayers and found that Dhṛtarāshṭra, Gāndhārī and Vidura had gone from the palace. He was deeply troubled. He feared that the old blind king, embittered by the power of the Pāṇḍavas and the aftermath of the war, might have left in grief and thrown himself into the Gaṅgā. Nārada came and comforted him. He explained that Dhṛtarāshṭra had gone to an āśrama in the Himālaya for his final renunciation. This is told in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 13.

Seeing the coming of Kali

Arjuna was late in returning from Dvārakā. Yudhishṭhira saw many dreadful omens: strange behaviour of animals, eclipses, violent winds, quarrels between friends and between family members, deceit in trade, and a general spread of adharma. He understood these as signs that Kali Yuga was coming and that Kṛshṇa had gone. When Arjuna came back in grief and confirmed it, Yudhishṭhira decided to act. This is told in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 14.

The crowning of Parīkshit and the mahāprasthāna

Yudhishṭhira saw that the time for his own departure had come. He crowned Parīkshit as ruler over the sea-bound earth. Parīkshit was his grandson, born through divine grace, and had all the qualities foretold for a great emperor. Separately he installed Vajra, son of Aniruddha, as king of Śūrasena at Mathurā.

Then he performed the prajāpatya ishṭi and placed the sacred fires within himself. He gave up everything and put on garments of bark. Step by step he released his speech and the powers of his senses into higher principles: mantra, prāṇa, apāna, death, the five elements, prakṛti, avidyā, jīva and Brahman. Then he walked north, and he never looked back. This is told in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 15.

Svargārohaṇa Parva: the ascent, the vision of naraka, and the final end

Chapter 1

Carried up in Indra’s chariot, Yudhishṭhira entered Trivishṭapa, the svarga ruled by Mahendra. There, seated in glory among the Sādhyas and the shining devas, he saw Duryodhana, radiant with the splendour of a king. Yudhishṭhira could not bear the sight and turned away. He said that he did not want worlds shared with the man because of whom the earth had been laid waste and Draupadī shamed, and that he wished only to go where his brothers were.

Nārada laughed gently. He told him that in svarga all enmity of the earth is dissolved. Duryodhana had reached the vīra-loka (the world of heroes) by following kshatriya-dharma and by his fearlessness in the hour of battle. Yudhishṭhira should hold no grievance against him. Yudhishṭhira was not moved. He pressed to see his brothers, Karṇa, Dhṛshṭadyumna, Sātyaki, Virāṭa, Drupada, Dhṛshṭaketu, Śikhaṇḍī, the Draupadeyas (the sons of Draupadī) and Abhimanyu. This is told in the Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 1.

Chapter 2

At his insistence, a devadūta (messenger of the devas) was sent to lead him. But the path led down into naraka (hell). It was a road of thick darkness. It stank of blood and flesh and was strewn with torn limbs and pretas. Birds with iron beaks attacked there. The river Vaitaraṇī boiled. The thorn-tree Kūṭaśālmalī stood by the road, and there were cauldrons of boiling oil.

Yudhishṭhira was sickened and decided to turn back. But from the darkness he heard the pitiful voices of Karṇa, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Dhṛshṭadyumna, Draupadī and the Draupadeyas. They begged him to stay, because the fragrance of his body and the breeze that followed him eased their pain.

At this his decision turned completely. He refused to enjoy svarga while those he loved suffered in that place. He sent the devadūta back to the devas with the message that he would stay there. He denounced the devas and dharma alike for this injustice. This is told in the Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 2.

Chapter 3

Then Indra, the assembled devas and Dharma himself in visible form came to him. The vision of naraka vanished. The Vaitaraṇī, the Kūṭaśālmalī and the cauldrons all dissolved, and the foul air turned fragrant and cool.

Indra taught him that every king must briefly see naraka. One who first enjoys the fruits of puṇya (merit) must afterwards bear naraka, while one who suffers naraka first rises afterwards to lasting svarga. He said that this naraka had been shown to Yudhishṭhira by a device (chala), just as Yudhishṭhira himself had once deceived Droṇa with the double-meaning words about Aśvatthāman.

Dharma then revealed that this was the third of the trials by which he had tested his son. The first was the Yaksha-praśna at Dvaitavana, over the lost araṇi (fire-stick). The second was the dog on the mahāprasthāna. The third was this ordeal of naraka. In every trial Yudhishṭhira had stood unshaken. Cleansed and without fault, Yudhishṭhira bathed in the divine Ākāśagaṅgā, cast off his human body, and rose in a divine form, free of grief and enmity. This is told in the Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 3.

Chapters 4–5

Calm again, Yudhishṭhira saw each of his kin enthroned in his true divine place. Kṛshṇa was there, attended by Arjuna. Karṇa was among the twelve Sūryas. Bhīma was beside Vāyu among the Maruts. Nakula and Sahadeva were in the place of the Aśvins. Draupadī was shown to be Śrī.

When his allotted karma was used up, Yudhishṭhira entered Dharma himself, together with Vidura, since both had come from him. The son went back wholly into his source. This is told in the Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 4–5.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Sambhava Parva, Chapters 120–140
• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapters 141–234
• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva, Dyūta Parva and Anudyūta Parva, Chapters 47–81
• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapters 8, 12–15
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• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 143–164
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• Mahābhārata, Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 1–5