Shloka 1

मარკण्डेयागमनम् तथा सत्यव्रत-उपदेशः

Arrival of Mārkaṇḍeya and Counsel on Truth-Vows

Devanagari script

73:87 #:23::7 () हि २ 7 षड्विशो<5ध्याय: दल्भपुत्र बकका युधिष्ठिरको ब्राह्मणोंका महत्त्व बतलाना वैशम्पायन उवाच वसत्सु वै द्वेतवने पाण्डवेषु महात्मसु । अनुकीर्ण महारण्यं ब्राह्मणैः समपद्यत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! द्वैतवनमें जब महात्मा पाण्डव निवास करने लगे, उस समय वह विशाल वन ब्राह्मणोंसे भर गया

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca | Vasatsu vai Dvaitavane Pāṇḍaveṣu mahātmasu | Anukīrṇaṃ mahāraṇyaṃ brāhmaṇaiḥ samapadyata ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: When the high-souled Pāṇḍavas had taken up residence in the Dvaitavana forest, that vast wilderness came to be filled with Brāhmaṇas. The scene signals that the exiled kings, though deprived of power, continued to attract and uphold the presence of sacred learning and dharma through hospitality and reverence toward the learned.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'vasatsu', 'definition': 'while dwelling

• when residing (locative absolute sense)'}, {'term': 'vai', 'definition': 'indeed

• emphatic particle'}, {'term': 'Dvaitavane', 'definition': 'in Dvaitavana (a forest/woodland region)'}, {'term': 'Pāṇḍaveṣu', 'definition': 'among/with the Pāṇḍavas (locative plural)'}, {'term': 'mahātmasu', 'definition': 'high-souled, noble-minded persons (epithet of the Pāṇḍavas)'}, {'term': 'anukīrṇam', 'definition': 'strewn over, filled, crowded'}, {'term': 'mahāraṇyam', 'definition': 'great forest

• vast wilderness'}, {'term': 'brāhmaṇaiḥ', 'definition': 'by/with Brāhmaṇas

• learned priests/sages'}, {'term': 'samapadyata', 'definition': 'came to be

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pāṇḍavas
• Dvaitavana
• Brāhmaṇas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in adversity, the righteous maintain dharma through respect for learning and the virtuous; the presence of Brāhmaṇas around the exiled Pāṇḍavas highlights ethical kingship expressed as protection, hospitality, and reverence rather than mere political power.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the Pāṇḍavas begin living in the Dvaitavana forest during their exile, many Brāhmaṇas gather there, so the great forest becomes crowded with them—setting the stage for episodes involving the needs, counsel, and significance of the Brāhmaṇas in the forest sojourn.