Shloka 21

उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy

Opening

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच मार्कण्डेयवच: श्रुत्वा कुरूणां प्रवरो नृप:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca mārkaṇḍeyavacaḥ śrutvā kurūṇāṁ pravaro nṛpaḥ

Translation

قال فايشامبايانا: لما سمع الملكُ، وهو أرفعُ الكورو شأنًا، كلامَ ماركاندييا… (أجاب/عمل بمقتضاه).

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

मार्कण्डेयof Mārkaṇḍeya

वचःspeech; words

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

कुरूणाम्of the Kurus

प्रवरःthe foremost; best

नृपःking

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Mārkaṇḍeya

Kuru(s)

nṛpa (the king)

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 the ethical posture of a ruler: attentive listening to a sage’s counsel. It frames dharma as something received through respectful hearing (śravaṇa) and reflection, especially by those responsible for governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, reports that the Kuru king—described as the foremost among the Kurus—has heard Mārkaṇḍeya’s words. The line functions as a transition, preparing for the king’s ensuing response or the next narrative development.