Shloka 47

मान्धातृ-जन्म-चरितम्

The Birth and Career Account of Māndhātṛ

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एवमुक्त: स कौन्तेयो लोमशेन महर्षिणा । पप्रच्छानन्तरं भूय: सोमकं प्रति भारत,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--भारत! महर्षि लोमशके ऐसा कहनेपर कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिरने पुन: सोमकके विषयमें प्रश्न किया

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evam uktaḥ sa Kaunteyo Lomaśena maharṣiṇā | papracchānantaraṃ bhūyaḥ Somakaṃ prati Bhārata ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als der große Weise Lomaśa so geredet hatte, stellte jener Sohn der Kuntī (Yudhiṣṭhira), o Bhārata, erneut eine weitere Frage—diesmal über Somaka.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus

उक्तःhaving been spoken to / addressed

सःhe

कौन्तेयःson of Kuntī (Yudhiṣṭhira)

लोमशेनby Lomaśa

महर्षिणाby the great sage

पप्रच्छasked

अनन्तरम्afterwards / next

भूयःagain, further

सोमकम्Somaka (king/person named Somaka)

प्रतिtowards; concerning

भारतO Bhārata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Lomaśa

Kaunteya (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Somaka

Bhārata (Janamejaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a dharmic method of learning: attentive listening followed by careful questioning. Yudhiṣṭhira’s repeated inquiry shows that ethical understanding in the Mahābhārata is refined through dialogue and examination of illustrative cases (such as Somaka).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that after the sage Lomaśa finishes speaking, Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Kaunteya) asks another question, specifically about Somaka—signaling a transition to a new illustrative episode or clarification within the ongoing discourse.