Shloka 5
सीता-रावण-संवादः
Sītā–Rāvaṇa Dialogue in the Aśoka Grove
द्रौपदीमाश्रमे न्यस्य तृणबिन्दोरनुज्ञया । महर्षेदीप्ततपसो धौम्यस्य च पुरोधस:,एक दिनकी बात है, शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले पुरुषसिंह पाँचों पाण्डव उद्दीप्त तपस्वी पुरोहित धौम्य तथा महर्षि तृणबिन्दुकी आज्ञासे द्रौपदीको अकेली ही आश्रममें रखकर ब्राह्मणोंकी रक्षाके लिये हिंसक पशुओं-को मारने एक साथ चारों दिशाओंमें (अलग-अलग) चले गये
draupadīm āśrame nyasya tṛṇabindor anuñjayā | maharṣer dīptatapaso dhaumyasya ca purodhasaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: With the permission of the sage Tṛṇabindu and of the blazing ascetic Dhaumya, their family priest, the Pāṇḍavas left Draupadī in the hermitage and set out—each in a different direction—to kill violent beasts, thereby safeguarding the brahmins. The episode frames royal duty in exile as protective service: strength is exercised not for conquest, but to remove threats to the vulnerable and to uphold the sanctity of the āśrama.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma as protective responsibility: even in exile, power is ethically directed toward safeguarding brahmins and the sanctity of the hermitage, using force only as necessary to remove immediate threats.
With the consent of the sages (Tṛṇabindu and the priest Dhaumya), the Pāṇḍavas leave Draupadī at the āśrama and go out in different directions to kill dangerous animals that endanger the resident brahmins.