Shloka 3

Devanagari script

फलमूलाशनाहारा वनं गच्छाम दु:ःखिता: । वनं च दोषबहुलं बहुव्यालसरीसूपम्‌,तब कुन्तीपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिरने उनसे कहा--“ब्राह्मणो! हमारा राज्य, लक्ष्मी और सर्वस्व जूएमें हरण कर लिया गया है। हम फल, मूल तथा अन्नके आहार-पर रहनेका निश्चय करके दुःखी होकर वनमें जा रहे हैं। वनमें बहुत-से दोष हैं। वहाँ सर्प-बिच्छू आदि असंख्य भयंकर जन्तु हैं

Transliteration

phalamūlāśanāhārā vanaṁ gacchāma duḥkhitāḥ | vanaṁ ca doṣabahulaṁ bahuvyālasarīsṛpam ||

Translation

“Dengan makanan berupa buah dan umbi, kami pergi ke hutan dalam dukacita. Namun hutan itu penuh kesukaran dan bahaya, dipenuhi banyak binatang buas dan makhluk melata.”

Word by Word

फलfruit

मूलroot

अशनfood; eating

आहाराःthose whose diet is; eaters (by diet)

वनम्to the forest

गच्छामःwe go

दुःखिताःafflicted; unhappy

वनम्the forest

चand

दोषwith faults

बहुलम्abounding (in)

बहुmany

व्यालwild beast; serpent

सरीसृपम्creeping creatures; reptiles

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

forest (vana)

fruits (phala)

roots (mūla)

wild beasts (vyāla)

reptiles/serpents (sarīsṛpa)

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 highlights endurance and disciplined simplicity in adversity: when worldly power and wealth are lost, one can still uphold dharma through restraint, acceptance of hardship, and readiness to face danger without abandoning righteous conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speakers describe their departure into exile, choosing a forest-dweller’s diet of fruits and roots. They also acknowledge the forest’s perils—its many hardships and the presence of dangerous beasts and reptiles—setting the tone for the trials of the Vana Parva.