Shloka 2
Sāvitrī’s Report and Nārada’s Prognosis (सावित्र्याख्यान—सत्यवान्-गुणवर्णनं तथा अल्पायुषः पूर्वसूचना)
कथं दाशरथी वीरौ भ्रातरी रामलक्ष्मणौ । सम्प्रस्थितौ वने ब्रह्मन् मैथिली च यशस्विनी,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--ब्रह्मन! आपने श्रीरामचन्द्रजी आदि सभी भाइयोंके जन्मकी कथा तो पृथक्-पृथक् सुना दी, अब मैं उनके वनवासका कारण सुनना चाहता हूँ; उसे कहिये। दशरथजीके वीर पुत्र दोनों भाई श्रीराम और लक्ष्मण तथा मिथिलेशकुमारी यशस्विनी सीताको वनमें क्यों जाना पड़ा?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kathaṃ dāśarathī vīrau bhrātarī rāma-lakṣmaṇau | samprasthitau vane brahman maithilī ca yaśasvinī ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O Brāhmaṇa, paano umalis patungo sa buhay sa gubat ang dalawang magiting na magkapatid, sina Rāma at Lakṣmaṇa—mga anak ni Daśaratha? At bakit kinailangang sumama rin sa ilang si Maithilī (Sītā) na marangal?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: great suffering (exile) is not random but tied to dharma—promises, royal obligations, and the moral weight of decisions. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks the reasoned cause behind the forest-life of exemplary figures, implying that understanding dharma requires tracing motives and duties, not merely hearing events.
After hearing the births of Rāma and his brothers, Yudhiṣṭhira turns to the next crucial episode and asks the sage to explain why Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, along with Sītā, departed for the forest—requesting the background and cause of their exile.