Shloka 4
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
वनवासे च कौरव्य: कियन्तं कालमच्युत: । युधिष्ठिरो नरपति्यवसत् सजनस्तदा,अपनी मर्यादासे कभी च्युत न होनेवाले कुरुवंशी राजा युधिष्ठिर कितने दिनोंतक सब लोगोंके साथ वनमें रहे थे?
vanavāse ca kauravyaḥ kiyantaṁ kālam acyutaḥ | yudhiṣṭhiro narapatir avasat sa-janās tadā ||
Janamejaya asked: “O scion of the Kuru line, tell me—how long did King Yudhiṣṭhira, steadfast and never swerving from his rightful bounds, dwell in the forest at that time together with his people?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical kingship as steadfastness—Yudhiṣṭhira is remembered as one who does not deviate from maryādā (proper limits and conduct). Even when discussing duration of exile, the emphasis is on dharma-centered character and responsibility toward one’s people.
Janamejaya, continuing his inquiry into the later life of the Pāṇḍavas, asks the narrator (addressed as ‘Kauravya’) how long King Yudhiṣṭhira lived in the forest, and notes that he stayed there along with his followers.