tataḥ - then; yudhiṣṭhiraḥ rājā - King Yudhiṣṭhira; suhṛt - his friends; sambandhi - family members; bāndhavān - and relatives; premṇā - out of love; nivārayām āsa - stopped them; kṛṣṇam - Lord Kṛṣṇa; ca - and; tyāga - by separation; kātaraḥ - distressed.

At that time Rājā Yudhiṣṭhira stopped a number of his friends, immediate family members and other relatives from departing, among them Lord Kṛṣṇa. Out of love Yudhiṣṭhira could not let them go, for he felt the pain of imminent separation.