Shloka 2
Śaṅkha–Likhita Upākhyāna: Daṇḍa, Confession, and the Purification of Kingship (शङ्ख-लिखितोपाख्यानम्)
अरण्ये वसतां तात भ्रातृणां ते मनस्विनाम् । मनोरथा महाराज ये तत्रासन् युधिछिर
araṇye vasatāṃ tāta bhrātṝṇāṃ te manasvinām | manorathā mahārāja ye tatrāsan yudhiṣṭhira ||
अरण्ये वसतां तात भ्रातॄणां ते मनस्विनाम्। मनोरथाः महाराज ये तत्रासन् युधिष्ठिर॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical importance of inner intention (manoratha) during hardship: even in exile, the noble-minded are evaluated not only by circumstances but by the aims and resolve they cultivate.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and asks what hopes or plans Yudhiṣṭhira’s brothers held while living in the forest, setting up a discussion of their mindset and conduct during exile.