Shloka 5
वसन् द्वैतवने राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर: । भीमसेनोथ्डर्जुनश्वैव माद्रीपुत्रो च पाण्डवौ,द्वैतवनमें रहते समय कुन्तीपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिर, भीमसेन, अर्जुन तथा माद्रीकुमार नकुल-सहदेव--इन सभी शत्रुसंतापी संयम-नियम-परायण धर्मात्मा पाण्डवोंने एक दिन एक ब्राह्मणके लिये पराक्रम करते हुए महान् क्लेश उठाया, परंतु उसका भावी परिणाम सुखमय ही हुआ
vasan dvaitavane rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | bhīmaseno 'tha 'rjunaś caiva mādrīputrau ca pāṇḍavau ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While dwelling in the Dvaitavana forest, King Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī—together with Bhīmasena, Arjuna, and the two sons of Mādrī, the Pāṇḍavas—lived in disciplined restraint. In the course of their forest life, they once undertook a deed of valor for the sake of a brāhmaṇa, enduring severe hardship; yet the destined outcome of that effort proved ultimately auspicious.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical heroism as disciplined action undertaken for the protection and welfare of others—especially the vulnerable and the learned (brāhmaṇas). Even when righteous effort brings immediate hardship, steadfast dharma can lead to an ultimately auspicious result.
Vaiśaṃpāyana sets the scene in Dvaitavana during the Pāṇḍavas’ forest residence, naming the brothers and indicating that an incident occurs in which they exert themselves mightily on behalf of a brāhmaṇa, suffering great difficulty though the eventual outcome turns favorable.