Shloka 19
Dvaītavana: Brahmaghoṣa, Rṣi-saṅgha, and Baka Dālbhyā’s Upadeśa to Yudhiṣṭhira
अभोजयमन्त मिष्ट न्नेः सूदा: परमसंस्कृतै: । सर्वास्तानद्य पश्यामि वने वन्येन जीविन:,राजन्! आज वह सब न देखनेके कारण मेरे हृदयको क्या शान्ति मिलेगी? महाराज! आपके जिन भाइयोंको कानोंमें सुन्दर कुण्डल पहने हुए तरुण रसोइये अच्छे प्रकारसे बनाये हुए स्वादिष्ट अन्न परोसकर भोजन कराया करते थे, उन सबको आज वनमें जंगली फल-मूलसे जीवन-निर्वाह करते देख रही हूँ
abhōjayamanta miṣṭānnaḥ sūdāḥ paramasaṃskṛtaiḥ | sarvāstānadya paśyāmi vane vanyena jīvinaḥ, rājan |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, I now behold them all in the forest, sustaining themselves on wild fare. Those very brothers of yours—once served by youthful cooks wearing fine earrings, who offered exquisitely prepared, delicious food—are today living on forest fruits and roots. Seeing this reversal, how can my heart find peace?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impermanence of worldly comfort and status: those once surrounded by luxury can be reduced to austere subsistence. It evokes compassion and moral reflection on how dharma is tested and revealed in adversity, especially during exile.
The speaker contrasts the Pāṇḍavas’ former royal life—being served delicacies by well-adorned cooks—with their present condition in exile, living in the forest on wild provisions. The sight of this reversal causes deep emotional unrest and lament.