श्रुत्वा तथेति राजा च प्रत्युवाच पुरोहितम्।
पुरोहितो मन्त्रिणश्च तथा चक्रुश्च ते तदा।
वारमुख्यास्तु तच्छ्रुत्वा वनं प्रविविशुर्महत्॥
śrutvā tatheti rājā ca pratyuvāca purohitam
purohito mantriṇaś ca tathā cakruś ca te tadā
vāra-mukhyās tu tac chrutvā vanaṁ praviviśur mahat
śrutvā = on hearing this; tathā iti = alright; rājā ca = the king; pratyuvāca = told; purohitam = the priest; purohitaḥ = the priest; mantriṇaḥ ca = conveyed this to the ministers; tathā = as told; cakruḥ = did; ca = and; te tadā = they; vāra-mukhyāḥ tu = the chief courtesans; tat = this [from the ministers]; śrutvā = on hearing; vanam = forest; praviviśuḥ = entered; mahat = the great.
On hearing this, the king told the priest, “Alright.” The priest conveyed this to the ministers, and they did as told. On hearing this [from the ministers], the chief courtesans entered the great forest.
1 The priest, being a superior brāhmaṇa, does not have the authority to deal with a courtesan by the rules of Vedic dharma. Therefore, he told the ministers to take care of the matter.
The ministers sent the chief courtesans, for they alone have the authority to do so.1