अथ वै धार्तराष्ट्रेण प्रयुक्ता ये बहिश्चराः ॥
मृगयित्वा बहून् ग्रामान् राष्ट्राणि नगराणि च ॥
संविधाय यथादिष्टं यथादेशप्रदर्शनम् ॥
कृतचिन्ता न्यवर्तन्त ते च नागपुरं प्रति ॥
तत्र दृष्ट्वा तु राजानं कौरव्यं धृतराष्ट्रजम् ॥
द्रोणकर्णकृपैः सार्धं भीष्मेण च महात्मना ॥
संगतं भ्रातृभिश् चापि त्रिगर्तैश् च महारथैः ॥
दुर्योधनं सभामध्ये आसीनम् इदम् अब्रुवन् ॥
कृतो ऽस्माभिः परो यत्नस् तेषाम् अन्वेषणे सदा ॥
पाण्डवानां मनुष्येन्द्र तस्मिन् महति कानने ॥
निर्जने मृगसंकीर्णे नानाद्रुमलतावृते ॥
लताप्रतानबहुले नानागुल्मसमावृते ॥
न च विद्मो गता येन पार्थाः स्युर् दृढविक्रमाः ॥
मार्गमाणाः पदन्यासं तेषु तेषु तथा तथा ॥
गिरिकूटेषु तुङ्गेषु नानाजनपदेषु च ॥
जनाकीर्णेषु देशेषु खर्वटेषु पुरेषु च ॥
नरेन्द्र बहुशो ऽन्विष्टा नैव विद्मश् च पाण्डवान् ॥
अत्यन्तभावं नष्टास् ते भद्रं तुभ्यं नरर्षभ ॥
वर्त्मान्य् अन्विष्यमाणास् तु रथानां रथसत्तम ॥
कं चित् कालं मनुष्येन्द्र सूतानाम् अनुगा वयम् ॥
मृगयित्वा यथान्यायं विदितार्थाः स्म तत्त्वतः ॥
प्राप्ता द्वारवतीं सूता ऋते पार्थैः परंतप ॥
न तत्र पाण्डवा राजन् नापि कृष्णा पतिव्रता ॥
सर्वथा विप्रनष्टास् ते नमस् ते भरतर्षभ ॥
न हि विद्मो गतिं तेषां वासं वापि महात्मनाम् ॥
पाण्डवानां प्रवृत्तिं वा विद्मः कर्मापि वा कृतम् ॥
स नः शाधि मनुष्येन्द्र अत ऊर्ध्वं विशां पते ॥
अन्वेषणे पाण्डवानां भूयः किं करवामहे ॥
इमां च नः प्रियाम् ईक्ष वाचं भद्रवतीं शुभाम् ॥
atha vai dhārtarāṣṭreṇa prayuktā ye bahiścarāḥ ||
mṛgayitvā bahūn grāmān rāṣṭrāṇi nagarāṇi ca ||
saṃvidhāya yathādiṣṭaṃ yathādeśapradarśanam ||
kṛtacintā nyavartanta te ca nāgapuraṃ prati ||
tatra dṛṣṭvā tu rājānaṃ kauravyaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrajam ||
droṇakarṇakṛpaiḥ sārdhaṃ bhīṣmeṇa ca mahātmanā ||
saṃgataṃ bhrātṛbhiś cāpi trigartaiś ca mahārathaiḥ ||
duryodhanaṃ sabhāmadhye āsīnam idam abruvan ||
kṛto 'smābhiḥ paro yatnas teṣām anveṣaṇe sadā ||
pāṇḍavānāṃ manuṣyendra tasmin mahati kānane ||
nirjane mṛgasaṃkīrṇe nānādrumalatāvṛte ||
latāpratānabahule nānāgulmasamāvṛte ||
na ca vidmo gatā yena pārthāḥ syur dṛḍhavikramāḥ ||
mārgamāṇāḥ padanyāsaṃ teṣu teṣu tathā tathā ||
girikūṭeṣu tuṅgeṣu nānājanapadeṣu ca ||
janākīrṇeṣu deśeṣu kharvaṭeṣu pureṣu ca ||
narendra bahuśo 'nviṣṭā naiva vidmaś ca pāṇḍavān ||
atyantabhāvaṃ naṣṭās te bhadraṃ tubhyaṃ nararṣabha ||
vartmāny anviṣyamāṇās tu rathānāṃ rathasattama ||
kaṃ cit kālaṃ manuṣyendra sūtānām anugā vayam ||
mṛgayitvā yathānyāyaṃ viditārthāḥ sma tattvataḥ ||
prāptā dvāravatīṃ sūtā ṛte pārthaiḥ paraṃtapa ||
na tatra pāṇḍavā rājan nāpi kṛṣṇā pativratā ||
sarvathā vipranaṣṭās te namas te bharatarṣabha ||
na hi vidmo gatiṃ teṣāṃ vāsaṃ vāpi mahātmanām ||
pāṇḍavānāṃ pravṛttiṃ vā vidmaḥ karmāpi vā kṛtam ||
sa naḥ śādhi manuṣyendra ata ūrdhvaṃ viśāṃ pate ||
anveṣaṇe pāṇḍavānāṃ bhūyaḥ kiṃ karavāmahe ||
imāṃ ca naḥ priyām īkṣa vācaṃ bhadravatīṃ śubhām ||
Those outside agents whom Dhritarashtra's son had sent out, having searched through many villages, kingdoms and cities, and having carried out all as ordered and as the places dictated, returned to Nagapura with their thoughts full of care. There, seeing the king, the Kaurava, son of Dhritarashtra, seated in the assembly together with Drona, Karna and Kripa, with the great-souled Bhishma, with his brothers, and with the great chariot-warriors of the Trigartas, they said this to Duryodhana: "Lord of men, we have always made the utmost effort in searching for these Pandavas in that vast forest -- desolate, teeming with beasts, overgrown with every kind of tree and creeper, thick with tangled vines, covered with every kind of thicket. But we do not know where the firm-valored sons of Pritha may have gone, though we sought their footprints here and there, on towering mountain peaks, in every sort of country, in lands crowded with people, in small towns and in great cities. King of men, we have searched for the Pandavas many times over, yet we do not know them. They have vanished utterly; may good fortune attend you, bull among men. Seeking the tracks of chariots, O best of charioteers, we followed for some time in the wake of the charioteers' men. Having searched by right method and learned the matter in truth, king of men, we found that the charioteers reached Dvaraka without the sons of Pritha, scorcher of foes. The Pandavas are not there, O king, nor is the devoted Krishna. They have vanished altogether; homage to you, bull of the Bharatas. We know neither the course nor the dwelling of these great-souled ones, nor any news of the Pandavas, nor any deed done by them. So instruct us, king of men, what further we should do in searching for the Pandavas from here on, lord of the people. And hear this our pleasing, auspicious, and welcome word."
33c96cea0eff · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:17:35 PM UTC
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The Kauravas' search reveals the power of Dharma's protection: the Pandavas did not merely hide -- their path became closed to a hostile gaze.