Shloka 4
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)
के वै तानन्ववर्तन्त प्राप्तान् व्यसनमुत्तमम् । किमाचारा: किमाहारा: क्व च वासो महात्मनाम्,उस भारी संकटमें पड़े हुए पाण्डवोंके साथ वनमें कौन-कौन गये थे? वनमें वे किस आचार-व्यवहारसे रहते थे? क्या खाते थे? और उन महात्माओंका निवास-स्थान कहाँ था?
ke vai tān anvavartanta prāptān vyasanam uttamam | kim-ācārāḥ kim-āhārāḥ kva ca vāso mahātmanām ||
Janamejaya perguntou: “Quem, de fato, acompanhou aqueles Pāṇḍavas de grande alma quando caíram nessa calamidade extrema? Com que conduta e disciplina viveram na floresta? Do que se alimentavam? E onde ficava a morada desses nobres homens?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames adversity as a test of dharma: even in extreme misfortune, the listener is invited to examine the Pāṇḍavas’ companions, disciplined conduct (ācāra), lawful means of sustenance (āhāra), and proper dwelling—signs of ethical steadiness under hardship.
Janamejaya, continuing his inquiry into the Pāṇḍavas’ exile, asks for concrete details: who went with them into the forest, how they lived there, what they ate, and where they stayed.