Shloka 5
नलदमयन्त्युपाख्यानम्—नलप्रशंसा हंसदूतवृत्तान्तः
Nala–Damayantī Upākhyāna: Praise of Nala and the Swan-Messenger Episode
तांस्तु शूरान् महेष्वासांस्तदा निवसतो वने । अन्वयुरत्रल्यिणा राजन् साग्नयोडनग्नयस्तथा,राजन! उन दिनों वनमें निवास करनेवाले महाधनुर्धर शूरवीर पाण्डवोंके साथ बहुत-से साग्निक (अग्निहोत्री) और निरग्निक (अग्निहोत्ररहित) ब्राह्मण भी रहते थे
tāṁs tu śūrān maheṣvāsāṁs tadā nivasato vane | anvayur atralyiṇā rājan sāgnayo 'nagnyas tathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O King, while those heroic, great-archer Pāṇḍavas were living in the forest, many Brahmins also accompanied them there—some maintaining the sacred fires (performing Agnihotra) and others without the ritual fires—sharing their exile and sustaining the moral order through their presence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in hardship and exile, dharma is upheld through the companionship of the righteous: the presence of Brahmins—both ritual fire-keepers and those without fires—signals that moral and spiritual life continues alongside political suffering.
Vaiśampāyana tells the king that during the Pāṇḍavas’ forest residence, many Brahmins lived with and followed them there, including those who maintained Agnihotra fires and those who did not.