Shloka 19
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 58 — Saṃjaya’s Audience and Kṛṣṇa’s Deterrent Counsel (संजय-प्रवेशः कृष्णवाक्यं च)
आवयोर्वचनात् सूत ज्येष्ठानप्यभिवादयन् । यवीयसश्व कुशल पश्चात् पृष्टवैवमुत्तरम्
āvayor vacanāt sūta jyeṣṭhān apy abhivādayan | yavīyasaś ca kuśalaṁ paścāt pṛṣṭvaivam uttaram ||
Vāyu-deva sprach: „O Wagenlenker, in unser beider Namen erweise zuerst ehrerbietige Grüße selbst den Ältesten, die an Alter und Würde hervorragen. Dann erkundige dich nach dem Wohlergehen derer, die jünger sind als wir. Danach überbringe diese unsere Antwort.“
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dharmic etiquette in communication: honor elders with salutations, show care for juniors by asking after their welfare, and only then deliver one’s message. Proper order and courtesy are presented as ethical discipline.
Vāyu-deva instructs a sūta acting as a messenger: before conveying their formal reply, he must first greet senior persons respectfully and inquire about the well-being of those younger, establishing a courteous and dharmic setting for the message.