Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)
भीष्म: पितामहो राजा विदुरो जननी च मे । सुहज्जनश्नच प्रायो मे नगरे नागसाह्लये,(आपलोगोंको मालूम होना चाहिये कि) हमारे पितामह भीष्म, राजा धृतराष्ट्र, विदुरजी, मेरी माता तथा प्राय: अन्य सगे-सम्बन्धी भी हस्तिनापुरमें ही हैं
bhīṣmaḥ pitāmaho rājā viduro jananī ca me | suhṛj-janaś ca prāyo me nagare nāgasāhvaye ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「知っておくがよい。我らの大父(ピターマハ)ビーシュマ、王ドリタラーシュトラ、ヴィドゥラ、我が母、そしてまことに我を思う者と近き親族の多くは、『ナーガサーヴヤ』と呼ばれる都(ハスティナープラ)にいる。」
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse highlights dharmic deliberation: even when wronged, one must weigh actions against their impact on elders, kin, and well-wishers. Ethical choices are not isolated; they reverberate through family and polity, especially when revered figures reside at the center of power.
Yudhiṣṭhira points out that key Kuru elders and his mother remain in Hastināpura (Nāgasāhvaya). This situates the Pandavas’ exile decisions within the reality that their closest relations are still at the Kuru capital, shaping the stakes of any confrontation or strategy.