Text 16
gatvā gajāhvayaṁ rāmo
bāhyopavanam āsthitaḥ
uddhavaṁ preṣayām āsa
dhṛtarāṣṭraṁ bubhutsayā
gatvā — going; gajāhvayam — to Hastināpura; rāmaḥ — Lord Balarāma; bāhya — outside; upavanam — in a garden; āsthitaḥ — He stayed; uddhavam — Uddhava; preṣayām āsa — He sent; dhṛtarāṣṭram — about Dhṛtarāṣṭra; bubhutsayā — desiring to find out.
Upon arriving at Hastināpura, Lord Balarāma remained in a garden outside the city and sent Uddhava ahead to probe King Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s intentions.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “When Lord Balarāma reached the precincts of the city of Hastināpura, He did not enter but stationed Himself in a camp outside the city in a small garden house. Then He asked Uddhava to see the leaders of the Kuru dynasty and inquire from them whether they wanted to fight with the Yadu dynasty or to make a settlement.”