Shloka 5
Dhaumya’s Counsel on Incognito Conduct in a Royal Household (राजवसतौ आचरण-निति)
सर्वैरपि च वक्तव्यं न प्राज्ञायन्त पाण्डवा: । गता ह्[स्मानपाहाय सर्वे द्वैतववनादिति,वहाँ सब लोग यही कहें--“हमें पाण्डवोंका कुछ भी पता नहीं है। वे सब द्वैतवनसे ही हमें छोड़कर न जाने कहाँ चले गये”
sarvair api ca vaktavyaṃ na prājñāyanta pāṇḍavāḥ | gatā hi asmān apāhāya sarve dvaitavanād iti ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Kamu semua hendaklah berkata begini: ‘Kami tidak mengetahui apa-apa tentang para Pāṇḍava. Mereka semua telah meninggalkan kami dan beredar dari hutan Dvaitavana—tiada siapa tahu ke mana mereka pergi.’”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A leader may require a coordinated, careful public statement to prevent greater harm. The verse highlights prudence and collective discipline—guarding vulnerable people and a righteous objective—while navigating the tension between literal truth and protective discretion.
Yudhiṣṭhira instructs his companions to give a single, consistent reply: that the Pāṇḍavas are not known and have departed from Dvaitavana. This is part of maintaining secrecy about their whereabouts as they move toward the period of concealment.