Mahabharata 3.263.2 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 263, Shloka 2

Jatāyu’s Resistance, Sītā’s Traces, Kabandha’s Release, and the Path to Sugrīva (Āraṇyaka-parva 263)

Devanagari script

सूर्यदत्ताक्षयान्नेव कृष्णाया भोजनावधि । ब्राह्मणांस्तर्पमाणेषु ये चान्नार्थमुपागता:

Transliteration

Janamejaya uvāca |

sūryadattākṣayānneva kṛṣṇāyā bhojanāvadhi |

brāhmaṇāṁstarpamāṇeṣu ye cānnārthamupāgatāḥ ||

Translation

Janamejaya dit : «Ô grand sage Vaiśampāyana ! Lorsque les Pāṇḍava, fidèles au dharma, vivaient dans la forêt, réjouissant les munis par des récits et des entretiens variés, et que, jusqu’à ce que Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) eût mangé, ils rassasiaient de la nourriture tirée du vase inépuisable accordé par le Soleil tous les brāhmanes venus demander un repas—en ce temps-là, comment les fils pervers de Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Duryodhana et les autres, suivant l’avis de Duḥśāsana, Karṇa et Śakuni, se conduisirent-ils envers les Pāṇḍava ? Dis-moi tout selon ma question.»

Word by Word

• सूर्यदत्त: given by the Sun
• सूर्यदत्त: Apadana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्यदत्त
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• अक्षयात्: from the inexhaustible (vessel/stock)
• अक्षयात्: Apadana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• अन्नात्: from food
• अन्नात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कृष्णायाः: of Krishna (Draupadi)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णा
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• भोजन: of eating/meal
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अवधि: limit; until
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवधि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तर्पमाणेषु: while (they were) satisfying
• तर्पमाणेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Plural, Present active participle (शतृ), Parasmaipada

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अन्नार्थम्: for the sake of food
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उपागताः: having come; arrived
• उपागताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + गम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past active participle (क्त), Parasmaipada

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍavas
• Sūrya
• Akṣayapātra (inexhaustible vessel)
• Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (Kauravas)
• Duryodhana
• Duḥśāsana
• Karṇa
• Śakuni

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma through hospitality: even in exile, the Pāṇḍavas prioritize feeding brāhmaṇas, using the Sun-given inexhaustible vessel with the ethical constraint that it yields food until Draupadī has eaten—showing disciplined generosity rather than indulgence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya asks Vaiśampāyana to describe how Duryodhana and the other Kauravas, influenced by Duḥśāsana, Karṇa, and Śakuni, acted toward the Pāṇḍavas during the period when the Pāṇḍavas lived in the forest and regularly fed visiting brāhmaṇas from the Akṣayapātra.