हिमालयं न्यस्तदण्डप्रहर्षं मनस्विनामिव सत्सम्प्रहारः ॥३०॥
patiá¹ prayÄntaá¹ subalasya putrÄ«
pati-vratÄ cÄnujagÄma sÄdhvÄ«
himÄlayaá¹ nyasta-daṇá¸a-prahará¹£aá¹
manasvinÄm iva sat samprahÄraḥ
patim - her husband; prayÄntam - while leaving home; subalasya - of King Subala; putrÄ« - the worthy daughter; pati-vratÄ - devoted to her husband; ca - also; anujagÄma - followed; sÄdhvÄ« - the chaste; himÄlayam - towards the Himalaya Mountains; nyasta-daṇá¸a - one who has accepted the rod of the renounced order; prahará¹£am - object of delight; manasvinÄm - of the great fighters; iva - like; sat - legitimate; samprahÄraḥ - good lashing.
The gentle and chaste GÄndhÄrÄ«, who was the daughter of King Subala of Kandahar [or GÄndhÄra], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to the HimÄlaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the staff of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from the enemy.
SaubalinÄ«, or GÄndhÄrÄ«, daughter of King Subala and wife of King Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra, was ideal as a wife devoted to her husband. The Vedic civilization especially prepares chaste and devoted wives, of whom GÄndhÄrÄ« is one amongst many mentioned in history. Laká¹£mÄ«jÄ« SÄ«tÄdevÄ« was also a daughter of a great king, but she followed her husband, Lord RÄmacandra, into the forest. Similarly, as a woman GÄndhÄrÄ« could have remained at home or at her father’s house, but as a chaste and gentle lady she followed her husband without consideration. Instructions for the renounced order of life were imparted to Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra by Vidura, and GÄndhÄrÄ« was by the side of her husband. But he did not ask her to follow him because he was at that time fully determined, like a great warrior who faces all kinds of dangers in the battlefield. He was no longer attracted to so-called wife or relatives, and he decided to start alone, but as a chaste lady GÄndhÄrÄ« decided to follow her husband till the last moment. MahÄrÄja Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra accepted the order of vÄnaprastha, and at this stage the wife is allowed to remain as a voluntary servitor, but in the sannyÄsa stage no wife can stay with her former husband. A sannyÄsÄ« is considered to be a dead man civilly, and therefore the wife becomes a civil widow without connection with her former husband. MahÄrÄja Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra did not deny his faithful wife, and she followed her husband at her own risk.
The sannyÄsÄ«s accept a rod as the sign of the renounced order of life. There are two types of sannyÄsÄ«s. Those who follow the MÄyÄvÄdÄ« philosophy, headed by ÅšrÄ«pÄda Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya, accept only one rod (eka-daṇá¸a), but those who follow the Vaiṣṇavite philosophy accept three combined rods (tri-daṇá¸a). The MÄyÄvÄdÄ« sannyÄsÄ«s are ekadaṇá¸i-svÄmÄ«s, whereas the Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ«s are known as tridaṇá¸i-svÄmÄ«s, or more distinctly, tridaṇá¸i-gosvÄmÄ«s, in order to be distinguished from the MÄyÄvÄdÄ« philosophers. The ekadaṇá¸i-svÄmÄ«s are mostly fond of the HimÄlayas, but the Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ«s are fond of Vá¹›ndÄvana and PurÄ«. The Vaiṣṇava sannyÄsÄ«s are narottamas, whereas the MÄyÄvÄdÄ« sannyÄsÄ«s are dhÄ«ras. MahÄrÄja Dhá¹›tarÄá¹£á¹ra was advised to follow the dhÄ«ras because at that stage it was difficult for him to become a narottama.
