ततस् ते पुरुषव्याघ्रा गत्वा स्त्रीभिस् तु संविदम् ॥
कृत्वा व्यायामपूर्वाणि कृत्यानि प्रतिकर्म च ॥
ततः कृताह्निकाः सर्वे दिव्यचन्दनरूषिताः ॥
कल्याणमनसश् चैव ब्राह्मणान् स्वस्ति वाच्य च ॥
मनोज्ञम् अशनं भुक्त्वा विविशुः शरणान्य् अथ ॥
उपगीयमाना नारीभिर् अस्वपन् कुरुनन्दनाः ॥
जगाम तेषां सा रात्रिः पुण्या रतिविहारिणाम् ॥
स्तूयमानाश् च विश्रान्ताः काले निद्राम् अथात्यजन् ॥
सुखोषितास् तां रजनीं प्रातः सर्वे कृताह्निकाः ॥
सभां रम्यां प्रविविशुः कितवैर् अभिसंवृताम् ॥
tatas te puruṣavyāghrā gatvā strībhis tu saṃvidam ||
kṛtvā vyāyāmapūrvāṇi kṛtyāni pratikarma ca ||
tataḥ kṛtāhnikāḥ sarve divyacandanarūṣitāḥ ||
kalyāṇamanasaś caiva brāhmaṇān svasti vācya ca ||
manojñam aśanaṃ bhuktvā viviśuḥ śaraṇāny atha ||
upagīyamānā nārībhir asvapan kurunandanāḥ ||
jagāma teṣāṃ sā rātriḥ puṇyā rativihāriṇām ||
stūyamānāś ca viśrāntāḥ kāle nidrām athātyajan ||
sukhoṣitās tāṃ rajanīṃ prātaḥ sarve kṛtāhnikāḥ ||
sabhāṃ ramyāṃ praviviśuḥ kitavair abhisaṃvṛtām ||
Then those tiger-men, having conversed with the women and performed their bodily exercises, ablutions, and bodily care -- all, having performed the daily rites, anointed with divine sandalwood, with auspicious mind, having bidden the brahmins pronounce "svasti" and partaken of delightful food, entered their chambers. Sung to by their wives, the descendants of Kuru fell asleep; and that holy night passed for them as they enjoyed delight. Praised and rested, they gave up sleep in due time. Having spent that night in comfort, in the morning all, having performed the daily rites, entered the beautiful hall, filled with gamblers.
66a27c561f8b · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
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The Pandavas' last peaceful night passes in calm and piety -- ablution, sandalwood, "svasti", rest. It is telling, this lull before the storm: on the eve of the fateful day an untroubled evening flows by, and the heroes do not know that by morning they will enter the hall of their ruin. The verse teaches how close the day of disaster can lie to the day of peace: life gives no advance notice of its turns, and after a quiet night a fearsome morning rises. And the Pandavas' fidelity to ritual even as guests -- "having performed the daily rites" -- shows that the righteous keep their duty both in another's house and on the threshold of trial. Whoever remains true to dharma even in his last peaceful hour meets disaster unstained; and the purity of the eve stays with him through the very storm.