Shloka 1
कुन्तीनिवर्तनप्रयत्नः तथा वननिवासप्रारम्भः
Attempt to Dissuade Kuntī; Commencement of Forest Residence
ऑपन--माज बछ। अकाल पञ्चविशो< ध्याय: संजयका ऋषियोंसे पाण्डवों
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sa taiḥ saha naravyāghraiḥ bhrātṛbhiḥ bharatarṣabha | rājā rucirapadmākṣair āsāṃ cakre tadāśrame |
Vaiśampāyana said: O bull of the Bharatas, the king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, having come to that forest hermitage, took his seat there together with those tiger-like brothers—Yudhiṣṭhira and the other Pāṇḍavas—men with beautiful lotus-like eyes. At that time, many eminent ascetics, already assembled from various regions, were present there, eager to behold the sons of Pāṇḍu, the Kuru princes, renowned for their broad chests and heroic bearing.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic transition: royal power and identity are placed within the higher moral horizon of āśrama-life and the presence of ascetics. Even kings and heroes are shown as accountable to spiritual discipline and communal witness, suggesting that authority is refined by humility, restraint, and reverence for tapas.
Vaiśampāyana describes Dhṛtarāṣṭra seated in the hermitage together with the Pāṇḍava brothers (led by Yudhiṣṭhira). Many ascetics from different regions are already gathered there, eager to see the famed sons of Pāṇḍu.