Shloka 42
Bhīmasena’s Discourse on Kāla, Resolve, and the Feasibility of Ajñātavāsa (भीमसेनस्य कालोपदेशः)
तमन्वयुर्महाराज शिक्षाक्षरविशारदा: । ब्राह्मणास्तपसा युक्ता देवेन्द्रमूषणो यथा,महाराज! जैसे महर्षिगण देवराज इन्द्रका अनुसरण करते हैं, वैसे ही वेदादि शास्त्रोंकी शिक्षा तथा अक्षर ब्रह्मतत्त्वके ज्ञानमें निपुण बहुत-से तपस्वी ब्राह्मण राजा युधिष्ठिरके साथ उस वनमें गये
tam anvayur mahārāja śikṣākṣara-viśāradāḥ | brāhmaṇās tapasā yuktā devendram ūṣaṇo yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O großer König, viele Brahmanen — in Askese geübt und hochkundig in vedischer Unterweisung sowie in der Wissenschaft von Silben und Buchstaben — folgten ihm, wie einst die Weisen Devendra (Indra) folgten. Ebenso begleiteten jene Asketen König Yudhiṣṭhira in jenen Wald.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal that true authority attracts the company of the virtuous: learned, austere Brahmins willingly accompany a righteous king. It also honors disciplined learning (śikṣā, akṣara-vidyā) joined with tapas, suggesting that knowledge and self-restraint together support dharma even in hardship.
As Yudhiṣṭhira proceeds into the forest during exile, many ascetic Brahmins—experts in Vedic recitation and learning—follow him. The narrator compares their following to the way sages follow Indra, emphasizing Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral stature and the supportive presence of holy men in the wilderness.