Mahabharata · 16.3.21-22
॥
Devanāgarī
इत्य् उक्त्वा वासुदेवस् तु चिकीर्षन् सत्यम् एव तत् ॥
आज्ञापयाम् आस तदा तीर्थयात्राम् अरिंदम ॥
अघोषयन्त पुरुषास् तत्र केशवशासनात् ॥
तीर्थयात्रा समुद्रे वः कार्येति पुरुषर्षभाः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
ity uktvā vāsudevas tu cikīrṣan satyam eva tat ||
ājñāpayām āsa tadā tīrthayātrām ariṃdama ||
aghoṣayanta puruṣās tatra keśavaśāsanāt ||
tīrthayātrā samudre vaḥ kāryeti puruṣarṣabhāḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इत्य् उक्त्वा वासुदेवस् तुity uktvā vāsudevas tuhaving spoken thus, Vasudeva
चिकीर्षन् सत्यम् एव तत्cikīrṣan satyam eva tatwishing to fulfill that
आज्ञापयाम् आस तदाājñāpayām āsa tadācommanded then
तीर्थयात्राम् अरिंदमtīrthayātrām ariṃdamaa pilgrimage, O subduer of enemies
अघोषयन्त पुरुषाःaghoṣayanta puruṣāḥmen proclaimed
तत्र केशवशासनात्tatra keśavaśāsanātthere, by the command of Keshava
तीर्थयात्रा समुद्रे वःtīrthayātrā samudre vaḥa pilgrimage to the sea for you
कार्येति पुरुषर्षभाःkāryeti puruṣarṣabhāḥlet it be performed, O bulls among men
Translation
Having spoken thus and wishing to bring it to fulfilment, Vasudeva then commanded a pilgrimage, O subduer of enemies. And men proclaimed there, by the command of Keshava: 'Let a pilgrimage to the sea be performed by you, O bulls among men.'
Version
0f5c70656da2 · published Jun 21, 2026, 1:10:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Seeing the inevitable, Krishna does not resist it but himself leads the clan toward what is appointed — he commands a pilgrimage to the sea, where the denouement will unfold. The Lord does not annul what is foreordained, but clothes it in the form of piety: destruction will arrive in the guise of a pilgrimage to sacred waters. In this lies an ineffable wisdom — He joins the conclusion of the līlā with sacred rite, leading His own to the end not by compulsion but by His guiding will. The verse teaches that the Lord, knowing the outcome, directs events toward their appointed fulfilment without contending against fate, for fate is His will; and that even the final journey of the doomed He turns into a pilgrimage, revealing that in the passing of the clan it is not blind fate that acts but the guiding hand of the Lord, fulfilling His hidden design.