Shloka 3
नलदमयन्त्युपाख्यानम्—नलप्रशंसा हंसदूतवृत्तान्तः
Nala–Damayantī Upākhyāna: Praise of Nala and the Swan-Messenger Episode
किमासीत् पाण्डुपुत्राणां वने भोजनमुच्यताम् । वानेयमथवा कृष्टमेतदाख्यातु नो भवान्,विप्रवर! बताइये, पाण्डवलोग वनमें क्या भोजन करते थे? जंगली फल-मूल या खेतीसे पैदा हुआ ग्रामीण अन्न? इसका आप स्पष्ट वर्णन कीजिये
kim āsīt pāṇḍuputrāṇāṁ vane bhojanam ucyatām | vāneyam athavā kṛṣṭam etad ākhyātu no bhavān, vipravara ||
Janamejaya perguntou: “Dizei-nos qual era o alimento dos filhos de Pāṇḍu enquanto viviam na floresta. Era sustento silvestre—frutos e raízes—ou grão obtido por cultivo? Ó melhor dos brāhmaṇas, explicai isto com clareza.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic concern for how one lives during exile: whether sustenance is taken from what the forest freely offers or from cultivated resources, implying questions of dependence, restraint, and rightful means of livelihood.
King Janamejaya, listening to the Mahābhārata narration, asks the sage to clarify what the Pāṇḍavas ate during their forest exile—wild forest produce or cultivated grain—requesting a precise account.