Shloka 17

रावणोत्पत्तिः—तपसा वरलाभश्च

Rāvaṇa’s Origins and the Acquisition of Boons

Devanagari script

विविशुस्ते सम कौरव्या वृता विप्रर्षभैस्तदा । तद्‌ वन॑ भरतमश्रेष्ठा: स्वर्ग सुकृतिनो यथा,जैसे पुण्यात्मा पुरुष स्वर्गमें जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार उन भरतश्रेष्ठ पाण्डवोंने श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंके साथ काम्यक वनमें प्रवेश किया

Transliteration

viviśus te sama-kauravyā vṛtā viprarṣabhais tadā | tad vanaṁ bharataśreṣṭhāḥ svargaṁ sukṛtino yathā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Then those foremost of the Bharatas—the Pāṇḍavas—entered that forest, accompanied and surrounded by the best of Brahmins, just as the meritorious enter heaven.

Word by Word

विविशुःentered

तेthey

सम्together/along with

कौरव्याःthe Kauravas (here: the sons of Kuru; contextually the Pandavas as Kauravas)

वृताःsurrounded/accompanied

विप्रर्षभैःby the best of Brahmins

तदाthen

तत्that

वनम्forest

भरत-श्रेष्ठाःthe best among the Bharatas

स्वर्गम्heaven

सुकृतिनःthe meritorious (doers of good deeds)

यथाas/just as

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pāṇḍavas

Bharatas (Kuru lineage)

Brahmins (viprarṣabhas)

Forest (Kāmyaka forest implied by context)

Svarga (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the Pāṇḍavas’ forest-entry as ethically and spiritually dignified: when one keeps dharma and remains in the company of the learned and virtuous (foremost Brahmins), even exile resembles a meritorious journey—likened to the righteous entering heaven.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the Pāṇḍavas entering the forest (contextually, Kāmyaka), attended by eminent Brahmins. The simile ‘like the meritorious entering heaven’ highlights the solemn, auspicious character of their movement into exile.