वैशंपायन उवाच
वानेयं च मृगांश् चैव शुद्धैर् बाणैर् निपातितान् ॥
ब्राह्मणानां निवेद्याग्रम् अभुञ्जन् पुरुषर्षभाः ॥
तांस् तु शूरान् महेष्वासांस् तदा निवसतो वने ॥
अन्वयुर् ब्राह्मणा राजन् साग्नयो ऽनग्नयस् तथा ॥
ब्राह्मणानां सहस्राणि स्नातकानां महात्मनाम् ॥
दश मोक्षविदां तद्वद् यान् बिभर्ति युधिष्ठिरः ॥
रुरून् कृष्णमृगांश् चैव मेध्यांश् चान्यान् वनेचरान् ॥
बाणैर् उन्मथ्य विधिवद् ब्राह्मणेभ्यो न्यवेदयत् ॥
न तत्र कश् चिद् दुर्वर्णो व्याधितो वाप्य् अदृश्यत ॥
कृशो वा दुर्बलो वापि दीनो भीतो ऽपि वा नरः ॥
पुत्रान् इव प्रियाञ् ज्ञातीन् भ्रातॄन् इव सहोदरान् ॥
पुपोष कौरवश्रेष्ठो धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः ॥
पतींश् च द्रौपदी सर्वान् द्विजांश् चैव यशस्विनी ॥
मातेव भोजयित्वाग्रे शिष्टम् आहारयत् तदा ॥
प्राचीं राजा दक्षिणां भीमसेनो; यमौ प्रतीचीम् अथ वाप्य् उदीचीम् ॥
धनुर्धरा मांसहेतोर् मृगाणां; क्षयं चक्रुर् नित्यम् एवोपगम्य ॥
तथा तेषां वसतां काम्यके वै; विहीनानाम् अर्जुनेनोत्सुकानाम् ॥
पञ्चैव वर्षाणि तदा व्यतीयुर्; अधीयतां जपतां जुह्वतां च ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
vāneyaṃ ca mṛgāṃś caiva śuddhair bāṇair nipātitān ||
brāhmaṇānāṃ nivedyāgram abhuñjan puruṣarṣabhāḥ ||
tāṃs tu śūrān maheṣvāsāṃs tadā nivasato vane ||
anvayur brāhmaṇā rājan sāgnayo 'nagnayas tathā ||
brāhmaṇānāṃ sahasrāṇi snātakānāṃ mahātmanām ||
daśa mokṣavidāṃ tadvad yān bibharti yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
rurūn kṛṣṇamṛgāṃś caiva medhyāṃś cānyān vanecarān ||
bāṇair unmathya vidhivad brāhmaṇebhyo nyavedayat ||
na tatra kaś cid durvarṇo vyādhito vāpy adṛśyata ||
kṛśo vā durbalo vāpi dīno bhīto 'pi vā naraḥ ||
putrān iva priyāñ jñātīn bhrātṝn iva sahodarān ||
pupoṣa kauravaśreṣṭho dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
patīṃś ca draupadī sarvān dvijāṃś caiva yaśasvinī ||
māteva bhojayitvāgre śiṣṭam āhārayat tadā ||
prācīṃ rājā dakṣiṇāṃ bhīmaseno; yamau pratīcīm atha vāpy udīcīm ||
dhanurdharā māṃsahetor mṛgāṇāṃ; kṣayaṃ cakrur nityam evopagamya ||
tathā teṣāṃ vasatāṃ kāmyake vai; vihīnānām arjunenotsukānām ||
pañcaiva varṣāṇi tadā vyatīyur; adhīyatāṃ japatāṃ juhvatāṃ ca ||
Vaishampayana said: "These finest of men ate forest fare and the flesh of animals struck down by clean arrows, having first offered the best of it to the brahmins. As the great archers dwelt in the forest, brahmins followed after them — those who kept the sacred fires and those who did not. Yudhishthira supported thousands of great snatakas and ten knowers of liberation besides. He hunted ruru deer, black antelope, and other pure forest creatures and, in due form, offered them to the brahmins. There was no one there of wretched appearance, no one sick, thin, weak, poor, or afraid. The Kaurava's foremost, Yudhishthira the king of righteousness, sustained them all as if they were his own beloved sons, kinsmen, and brothers born of one womb. And glorious Draupadi, like a mother, first fed all her husbands and the twice-born, and only then ate what remained. The king hunted in the east, Bhima in the south, and the twins in the west and the north; the bearers of the bow, going out daily, brought about the destruction of the deer for the sake of meat. Thus, for those who dwelt in Kamyaka, grieving in Arjuna's absence, five years passed in study, in the recitation of japa, and in offering oblations."
99861651114d · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:51:20 PM UTC
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Even in exile Yudhishthira remains a king: his kingliness shows itself not in a throne but in the capacity to feed, protect, and sustain the spiritual life of those around him.