Mahabharata 1.78.18 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 78, Shloka 18
ययाति-देवयानी-शर्मिष्ठा विवादः — Śukra’s Curse and the Disclosure of Lineage
दीर्घ ध्यायसि चात्यर्थ कस्माच्छोचसि चातुरा । कथं च पतितास्यस्मिन् कूपे वीरुत्तणावृते
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
dīrghaṁ dhyāyasi cātyarthaṁ kasmāc chocasi cātura |
kathaṁ ca patitāsyasmin kūpe vīruttṛṇāvṛte ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Du sinnst lange nach und trauerst übermäßig—warum, o Weiser? Und wie kamst du dazu, in diesen Brunnen zu stürzen, der von Ranken und Gras überwuchert ist?“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models ethical inquiry: instead of dismissing grief, the speaker asks its cause and the circumstances behind the suffering. It suggests that wise counsel begins with attentive questioning—understanding both the inner state (excessive brooding and sorrow) and the outer situation (how one came into danger).
Vaiśampāyana addresses someone who has fallen into a well hidden by creepers and grass. Observing that the person is deeply pensive and sorrowful, he asks two things: the reason for the intense grief and the account of how the fall into the concealed well occurred.
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