Shloka 35

Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

bhīṣmaḥ pitāmaho rājā viduro jananī ca me | suhṛj-janaś ca prāyo me nagare nāgasāhvaye ||

Translation

యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు—తెలుసుకోండి: మా పితామహుడు భీష్ముడు, రాజు ధృతరాష్ట్రుడు, విదురుడు, నా తల్లి, అలాగే నా సన్నిహితులు, స్వజనులలో చాలామంది—‘నాగసాహ్వయ’ (హస్తినాపురం) అనే నగరంలోనే ఉన్నారు.

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

पितामहःgrandfather (paternal grandsire)

राजाthe king

विदुरःVidura

जननीmother

चand

मेof me / my

सुहृज्जनाःfriends and kinsmen/people (well-wishers)

चand

प्रायःmostly / for the most part

मेof me / my

नगरेin the city

नागसाह्वयेcalled (by the name) 'Nāga' (i.e., Hastināpura)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Vidura

Kuntī

Nāgasāhvaya (Hastināpura)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.