Shloka 5
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)
कथं च द्वादश समा बने तेषां महामुने | व्यतीयुत्रल्वमिणश्रेष्ठ शूराणामरिघातिनाम्,महामुने! ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठ! शत्रुओंका संहार करनेवाले उन शूरवीर महारथियोंके बारह वर्ष वनमें किस प्रकार बीते?
kathaṁ ca dvādaśa samā vane teṣāṁ mahāmune | vyatīyuḥ valmīki-śreṣṭha śūrāṇām ari-ghātinām ||
阇那美阇耶说道：“噢大圣者——诗人之冠！那些勇武的战士、摧敌者，在林中十二年是如何度过的？那漫长的流放，对他们而言是怎样展开的？”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic endurance: even mighty, enemy-smiting heroes must learn to live within restraint and hardship during exile, and the listener is invited to reflect on how character and righteousness are tested over time.
In the frame dialogue, King Janamejaya asks the sage (addressed as Vālmīki-śreṣṭha) to describe how the heroes spent the twelve-year forest exile—setting up the account of their life, trials, and conduct in the wilderness.