Shloka 42
व्यपेतजननिर्घोष॑ प्रविवेश महावनम् । रुरुभिश्न वराहैश्व पक्षिभिश्न निषेवितम्,तदनन्तर कुन्तीपुत्र पुरुषरत्न महाबाहु राजा युधिष्ठिर बहुत देरतक सोच-विचार करके उठे और जलते हुए हृदयसे उन्होंने उस विशाल वनमें प्रवेश किया, जहाँ मनुष्योंकी आवाजतक नहीं सुनायी देती थी। वहाँ रुरु मृग, वराह तथा पक्षियोंके समुदाय ही निवास करते थे
vyapetajananirghoṣaṁ praviveśa mahāvanam | rurubhiś ca varāhaiś ca pakṣibhiś ca niṣevitam ||
He entered the vast forest, from which the sounds of human beings had vanished—haunted only by ruru-deer, boars, and flocks of birds. Thereafter, Kunti’s son, the mighty-armed king Yudhishthira—after long, heavy reflection—rose with a heart burning in distress and stepped into that great wilderness where no human voice could be heard.
यक्ष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral and psychological setting: when human support and familiar voices vanish, one must still act with steadiness. Yudhiṣṭhira’s entry into a silent, wild forest highlights endurance, self-control, and readiness to face a dharmic test even amid grief and inner burning.
In the Yakṣa episode, Yudhiṣṭhira—after prolonged anxious thought—rises and enters a vast forest devoid of human sounds, inhabited only by deer, boars, and birds. The scene prepares for his encounter with the Yakṣa and the ensuing questioning.