Shloka 17
रावणोत्पत्तिः—तपसा वरलाभश्च
Rāvaṇa’s Origins and the Acquisition of Boons
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
viviśus te sama-kauravyā vṛtā viprarṣabhais tadā | tad vanaṁ bharataśreṣṭhāḥ svargaṁ sukṛtino yathā ||
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. The comparison underscores their disciplined, dharma-aligned exile: though outwardly a hardship, their conduct and company render it spiritually elevated, like a righteous passage rather than a mere flight into wilderness.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.