Yudhiṣṭhira

Yudhiṣṭhira, 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 Jyeṣṭhā nakṣatra (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 Dhṛtarāṣṭra to make him yuvarāja (crown prince). This made Duryodhana jealous, and it began the conflict that the Mahābhārata tells. After the Kurukṣetra 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 Kṛṣṇa’s guidance. He looked after the Kuru empire until it passed to his grandson Parīkṣit. When Kali came, he gave up the throne and led the Pāṇḍavas on their last journey, the mahāprasthāna (the great departure).

Birth

Yudhiṣṭhira was the first son born through the divine mantra that Kuntī had received from the ṛṣi 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 Jyeṣṭhā nakṣatra. 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

Yudhiṣṭhira 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 kṣatriya: the Vedas, dhanurveda (archery and warfare) and statecraft. Among the five brothers, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira as the ideal future king. Bhīṣma pressed for his formal appointment. Dhṛtarāṣṭra preferred Duryodhana, but he had to install Yudhiṣṭhira 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 kṣatriya

In the Dyūta Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra called Yudhiṣṭhira to a dice game at Hastināpura. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 kṣatriya 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, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira could not speak. She sent her famous question to the assembly, asking whether she was staked before or after he lost his own freedom. Yudhiṣṭhira 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. Yudhiṣṭhira 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, Bhīṣma, 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, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 ṛṣi Śaunaka, he took instruction in yoga and vairāgya (detachment). He received the Akṣayapātra, 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 kṣamā (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 rākṣasa 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 Yudhiṣṭhira, Nakula, Sahadeva and Draupadī, together with the weapons of the Pāṇḍavas, and tried to carry them away through the sky.

Although he was captured, Yudhiṣṭhira resisted. He made himself supernaturally heavy, a power attributed to his śakti (strength). This hampered the flight of the rākṣasa 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, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira. 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 Sudeṣṇā. Yudhiṣṭhira, 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, Yudhiṣṭhira told Bhīma and the others to rescue him. When Suśarman was taken, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira on the nose with a dice piece, in a moment of irritation. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira’s blood falling to the earth in anger would bring terrible results. After the year was over, Virāṭa asked his forgiveness. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira. Abhimanyu was married to Uttarā at Upaplavya, and Yudhiṣṭhira presided over the wedding together with Kṛṣṇa. This is told in the Virāṭa Parva, Chapters 1–72.

Bhīṣma 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. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 1.

Despair at Bhīṣma’s formation

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

“Dhanañjaya! How can we fight the Dhārtarāṣṭras when Bhīṣma 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 Bhīṣma-vyūha?”

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

His place in the Vajra Vyūha

Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Dhṛṣṭadyumna 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 Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 1.

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

In the Strī Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira goes with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī and the Pāṇḍavas to the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. 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 Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s meeting with the iron statue. Kṛṣṇa had placed it there in another man’s place, to protect him from Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief and rage. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira 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.

Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira in deep sorrow, mahāśoka, after the Kurukṣetra war. He had seen the bodies of Bhīṣma, 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 Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa tells him the secret of Karṇa’s true identity: Kuntī’s confession that Karṇa was her firstborn. This deepened Yudhiṣṭhira’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 brahmarākṣasa Cārvāka spoke against him. Then Yudhiṣṭhira went with Kṛṣṇa to Bhīṣma’s bed of arrows at Kurukṣetra to receive the full teaching on rājadharma (the dharma of kings). His questions to Bhīṣma 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 Yudhiṣṭhira received were these: the saptāṅga (the seven limbs of the state), the ṣāḍguṇya (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

Yudhiṣṭhira went on questioning Bhīṣma through the closing chapters of the Anuśāsana Parva. The topics were:

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

When his doubts were finished, Vyāsa asked Bhīṣma to give Yudhiṣṭhira leave to return to Hastināpura and take up the rule of the kingdom. Bhīṣma 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. Yudhiṣṭhira agreed. He left for Hastināpura with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, his brothers and Kṛṣṇa. This is told in the Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 166.

Bhīṣma Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 167–168

At Hastināpura, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 (paṭṭābhiṣikta) 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 Kurukṣetra with the ṛtvijas (priests). He carried ghee, garlands, sandal, agaru, silks and gems for the coming rites of Bhīṣma. He was accompanied by Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī, his brothers, Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa), Vidura, Yuyutsu and Sātyaki. Singers of hymns chanted as the company followed the sacred fires of Bhīṣma.

At Kurukṣetra, Yudhiṣṭhira found Vyāsa, Nārada and Asita Devala already seated by his grandfather. He bowed to Bhīṣma and the assembled ṛṣis. He spoke directly to the still form on the bed of arrows:

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

Bhīṣma woke. He counted that fifty-eight nights had passed since his fall. He gave his final teachings to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Kṛṣṇa. Then, in the sight of Yudhiṣṭhira 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.

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

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

Chapters 11–15

Bhagavān Vyāsa had already spoken to Yudhiṣṭhira. Yet he was still dimmed, “like the sun seized by Rāhu, like Agni smothered in smoke”. Then Kṛṣṇa himself gave a long consolation. Kṛṣṇa 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

Kṛṣṇa ended by urging Yudhiṣṭhira 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, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 maharṣis to go with him to the Himavat. Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa (Kṛṣṇa) himself, Nārada and Devasthāna spoke many auspicious words. Then the maharṣis vanished before all present.

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

With the kingdom settled, Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna in the Maya-sabhā that his purpose in Bhārata was done and that he wished to return to Dvārakā. He praised Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira 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)

Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira’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 Yudhiṣṭhira, 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: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s renunciation and the great gift

Chapters 1–14

For fifteen years after Kurukṣetra, Yudhiṣṭhira served Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī with unbroken devotion. He asked Dhṛtarāṣṭra’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.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was overcome by the memory of his own part in the war. He asked leave to go to the forest with Gāndhārī. At first Yudhiṣṭhira 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. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was weakened by an eight-day fast and fainted into Gāndhārī’s lap. Only then did Yudhiṣṭhira give way far enough to ask that he first take food. Yudhiṣṭhira gave his consent only when Vyāsa stepped in directly. Vyāsa told him not to block so natural a wish in an aged rājarṣi (royal ṛṣi) who had no sons left. This is told in the Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 3–4.

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

At Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s request, Yudhiṣṭhira then called the citizens together for the formal farewell. He received from Dhṛtarāṣṭra 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.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, through Vidura, asked to perform śrāddha for Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Somadatta, Bāhlīka and even Jayadratha the Saindhava. Only Bhīma objected, recalling the exile and the humiliation of Draupadī. Arjuna rebuked him. Yudhiṣṭhira told Bhīma not to hold the matter against their uncle. He directed Vidura to tell Dhṛtarāṣṭra that he could draw without limit on the treasuries of Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna: “this body and this wealth are yours.” Every gift that Dhṛtarāṣṭra proposed during the ten-day dāna-yajña that followed, Yudhiṣṭhira 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

Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers visited Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s forest āśrama. Yudhiṣṭhira alone followed the thin Vidura deep into the forest. Through Vidura’s own act of yoga, Vidura’s prāṇa, senses and limbs merged into Yudhiṣṭhira’s body. Then a voice with no body forbade Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira 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, Yudhiṣṭhira heard from Nārada that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, 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 Dhṛtarāṣṭra had gone to his own sacred agnihotra fire and not an ordinary fire. This settled Yudhiṣṭhira’s complaint. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yudhiṣṭhira heard that a terrible battle with pestles had broken out among the Vṛṣṇis, 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 muṣala (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 Yudhiṣṭhira in full all that had happened to the houses of the Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas. In this way the Mausala Parva sets in motion Yudhiṣṭhira’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 Vṛṣṇis and the passing of Kṛṣṇa. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Parīkṣit 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 Parīkṣit 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-iṣṭi, and released the sacred fires into the waters. This is told in the Mahā Prasthānika Parva, Chapter 1.

Yudhiṣṭhira 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). Yudhiṣṭhira 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. Yudhiṣṭhira was carried upwards among the devas, while Nārada proclaimed that no king had ever equalled him. Even so, Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Kurukṣetra war, Kṛṣṇa restored the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Kṛṣṇa. 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 Kṛṣṇa 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, Yudhiṣṭhira 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.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s departure found

Yudhiṣṭhira came back from his morning prayers and found that Dhṛtarāṣṭra, 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 Dhṛtarāṣṭra 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. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Kṛṣṇa had gone. When Arjuna came back in grief and confirmed it, Yudhiṣṭhira decided to act. This is told in the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 1st Skanda, Chapter 14.

The crowning of Parīkṣit and the mahāprasthāna

Yudhiṣṭhira saw that the time for his own departure had come. He crowned Parīkṣit as ruler over the sea-bound earth. Parīkṣit 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 iṣṭi 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, Yudhiṣṭhira entered Triviṣṭapa, 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. Yudhiṣṭhira 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 kṣatriya-dharma and by his fearlessness in the hour of battle. Yudhiṣṭhira should hold no grievance against him. Yudhiṣṭhira was not moved. He pressed to see his brothers, Karṇa, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Sātyaki, Virāṭa, Drupada, Dhṛṣṭaketu, 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.

Yudhiṣṭhira was sickened and decided to turn back. But from the darkness he heard the pitiful voices of Karṇa, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, 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 Yudhiṣṭhira by a device (chala), just as Yudhiṣṭhira 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 Yakṣa-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 Yudhiṣṭhira had stood unshaken. Cleansed and without fault, Yudhiṣṭhira 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, Yudhiṣṭhira saw each of his kin enthroned in his true divine place. Kṛṣṇa 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, Yudhiṣṭhira 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
• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 1–13
• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 143–164
• Mahābhārata, Virāṭa Parva, Chapters 1–72
• Mahābhārata, Bhīṣma Parva, Chapters 1, 19–22
• Mahābhārata, Strī Parva, Chapters 12–15
• Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva (Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva), Chapters 1–60
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 150–166
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 167–168
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 1–10
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 11–15
• Mahābhārata, Aśvamedhika Parva, Chapters 62–65, 71–72, 74, 76, 78
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 1–25
• Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapters 26, 28, 31, 37–39
• Mahābhārata, Mausala Parva, Chapters 1, 8
• Mahābhārata, Mahā Prasthānika Parva, Chapters 1–3
• Mahābhārata, Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapters 1–5