Mahabharata · 2.22.54–55
॥
Devanāgarī
तेनैव रथमुख्येन तरुणादित्यवर्चसा ॥
धर्मराजविसृष्टेन दिव्येनानादयन् दिशः ॥
ततो युधिष्ठिरमुखाः पाण्डवा भरतर्षभ ॥
प्रदक्षिणम् अकुर्वन्त कृष्णम् अक्लिष्टकारिणम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tenaiva rathamukhyena taruṇādityavarcasā ||
dharmarājavisṛṣṭena divyenānādayan diśaḥ ||
tato yudhiṣṭhiramukhāḥ pāṇḍavā bharatarṣabha ||
pradakṣiṇam akurvanta kṛṣṇam akliṣṭakāriṇam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेन एव रथ-मुख्येनtena eva ratha-mukhyenaon that very foremost chariot,
तरुण-आदित्य-वर्चसाtaruṇa-āditya-varcasāwith the splendor of a young sun,
धर्म-राज-विसृष्टेनdharma-rāja-visṛṣṭenareleased by Dharmaraja,
दिव्येन अनादयन् दिशःdivyena anādayan diśaḥdivine, resounding through the quarters;
ततो युधिष्ठिर-मुखाःtato yudhiṣṭhira-mukhāḥthen, led by Yudhishthira,
पाण्डवा भरतर्षभpāṇḍavā bharatarṣabhathe Pandavas, O bull of the Bharatas,
प्रदक्षिणम् अकुर्वन्तpradakṣiṇam akurvantacircumambulated
कृष्णम् अक्लिष्ट-कारिणम्kṛṣṇam akliṣṭa-kāriṇamKrishna, untiring in his deeds.
तेनैवtenaivaoriginal form "tenaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
रथमुख्येनrathamukhyenaoriginal form "rathamukhyena", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तरुणादित्यवर्चसाtaruṇādityavarcasāoriginal form "taruṇādityavarcasā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मराजविसृष्टेनdharmarājavisṛṣṭenaoriginal form "dharmarājavisṛṣṭena", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दिव्येनानादयन्divyenānādayanoriginal form "divyenānādayan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
युधिष्ठिरमुखाःyudhiṣṭhiramukhāḥoriginal form "yudhiṣṭhiramukhāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अक्लिष्टकारिणम्akliṣṭakāriṇamoriginal form "akliṣṭakāriṇam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
On that same foremost chariot, shining with the splendor of a young sun, given by Dharmaraja, divine, resounding through the quarters of the sky, he set out. And the Pandavas, led by Yudhishthira, O bull of the Bharatas, circumambulated Krishna, untiring in his deeds.
Version
46ff47d23ba3 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:28:50 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The farewell rite -- pradakshina, circumambulation -- reveals who Krishna was for the Pandavas: not merely an ally, but One honored as sacred. Telling is the epithet "untiring in his deeds" (aklishta-karin): the Lord accomplishes the greatest things without a trace of fatigue, for labor does not burden the Almighty. The verse teaches that the fitting response to the Lord's grace is not gratitude in word alone but worship as well; and in seeing him off, his devotees circle him as one circles an altar.