Shloka 15

वनप्रस्थानम् (Departure for the Forest) — Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 24

Devanagari script

बहवो ब्राद्मणास्तत्र परिवद्रुर्युधिष्ठिरम्‌ । तपःसिद्धा महात्मान: शतश: संशितव्रता:,वहाँ बहुत-से अन्निहोत्री ब्राह्मणों, निरग्निकों, स्वाध्यायपरायण ब्रह्मचारियों, वानप्रस्थियों, संन्यासियों, सैकड़ों कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले तपःसिद्ध महात्माओं तथा अन्य अनेक ब्राह्मणोंने महाराज युधिष्ठिरको घेर लिया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

bahavo brāhmaṇās tatra parivadrur yudhiṣṭhiram |

tapaḥsiddhā mahātmānaḥ śataśaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: There, many brāhmaṇas surrounded Yudhiṣṭhira—great-souled ascetics who had attained success through austerity, hundreds of them, steadfast in well-disciplined vows.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'bahavaḥ': 'many', 'brāhmaṇāḥ': 'brāhmaṇas

• members of the priestly/learned class', 'tatra': 'there', 'parivadrur (pari + vavruḥ)': 'surrounded, enclosed on all sides', 'yudhiṣṭhiram': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (accusative singular)', 'tapaḥ': 'austerity, ascetic heat, disciplined practice', 'siddhāḥ / tapaḥsiddhāḥ': 'accomplished

• those who have attained spiritual success through austerity', 'mahātmānaḥ': 'great-souled, noble-minded persons', 'śataśaḥ': 'by hundreds

• in hundreds', 'saṃśita-vratāḥ': 'those whose vows are well-restrained/firmly observed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brāhmaṇas
• Ascetics (tapaḥsiddha mahātmānaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that righteous rule is answerable to dharma as embodied by disciplined ascetics and learned brāhmaṇas. Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral authority is tested and refined when confronted by those who have mastered vows and austerity, implying that power should submit to ethical and spiritual scrutiny.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the forest setting, many brāhmaṇas and accomplished ascetics gather around Yudhiṣṭhira. The scene sets up a moment of consultation or petition, where the exiled king becomes the focal point for religious figures seeking audience, offering guidance, or presenting concerns.