The Pandavas Appoint Dhoumya as Their Priest
After their encounter with the gandharva, Arjuna asks for a recommendation: who is fit to be their priest? Guided to a hermitage in the forest, the brothers find a learned Brahmin and formally ask him to stand at their head.
The gandharva Angaraparna had been defeated, his horses taken, and then given back. In return, he had given the Pandavas knowledge — the secret of the chaksushi vidya, the art of seeing in the dark. Now, as they prepared to part ways, Arjuna had one more request.
He said to the gandharva, “You know everything. Tell us who, learned in the Vedas, is fit to be appointed our priest.”
A king without a priest was incomplete. The rituals of fire, the mantras for prosperity and protection, the guidance on dharma (righteous conduct) — all required a learned Brahmin at the forefront. The Pandavas were in exile, disguised as Brahmins, but they were still princes. They needed a preceptor.
The gandharva answered without hesitation. “There is a tirtha (sacred ford) in this forest known as Utkochaka. Devala’s younger brother Dhoumya is engaged in practising austerities there. If you wish, you can appoint him as your priest.”
Arjuna was pleased. In accordance with the prescribed rituals, he happily gave the gandharva his agneya weapon — the divine fire-missile — as a token of gratitude. He said, “O best of the gandharvas! Keep the horses for the moment. We shall take them from you when we need them. Be blessed.”
They saluted each other with respect. The gandharva left one way; the Pandavas, with their mother Kunti, left the beautiful banks of the Bhagirathi river and went another — toward Utkochaka.
They found the hermitage. Dhoumya, the younger brother of the sage Devala, was there, immersed in tapas (austerities). The Pandavas approached him and instated him as their priest.
Dhoumya, foremost among those who know all the Vedas, received them as a host should. He offered them water to wash their feet. He brought them fruits and roots from the forest. And he agreed to be their priest.
With that agreement, everything shifted. The Pandavas were no longer just five brothers and their mother wandering in disguise. They had a preceptor at their head — a man who knew the subtle nuances of the Vedas, who could perform the sacred rites, who could advise them on the path of dharma. They felt hopeful. With a priest, obtaining riches and a kingdom seemed possible again. Winning Panchali at the upcoming svayamvara (bride-choice ceremony) in Panchala felt within reach.
Kunti was the sixth member of their group. With Dhoumya as their seventh, the bulls of the Bharata lineage considered themselves well protected. The priest saw the warriors before him — already endowed with intelligence, valour, strength, and perseverance equal to that of the gods — and decided they were already restored to their kingdom through their own virtues. He blessed them.
The Pandavas, now accompanied by their priest, decided to proceed. Their destination was clear: the svayamvara in Panchala.