Shloka 7

Devanagari script

कुत आगम्यते सौते क्व चायं विह्वतस्त्वया । काल: कमलपपत्राक्ष शंसैतत्‌ पृच्छतो मम,कमलनयन सूतकुमार! आपका शुभागमन कहाँसे हो रहा है? अबतक आपने कहाँ आनन्दपूर्वक समय बिताया है? मेरे इस प्रश्नका उत्तर दीजिये

Transliteration

kuta āgamyate saūte kva cāyaṃ vihvatas tvayā | kālaḥ kamalapatrākṣa śaṃsaitat pṛcchato mama ||

Translation

“O Sūta, from where have you come, and where have you spent your time so pleasantly? O lotus-petaled-eyed one, tell me—answer this, for I ask you.”

Word by Word

• {'kutaḥ': 'from where', 'āgamyate': 'has (one) come / has arrived', 'saūte (sūta)': 'O Sūta

• member of the Sūta community (here addressing Ugraśravas)', 'kva': 'where', 'ca': 'and', 'ayam': 'this (time/period) / this (matter) (context-dependent)', 'vihvataḥ (vihṛtaḥ intended sense)': 'spent in recreation / passed pleasantly (sense: enjoying, roaming)', 'tvayā': 'by you', 'kālaḥ': 'time', 'kamalapatrākṣa': 'lotus-leaf-eyed (a respectful epithet)', 'śaṃsa': 'tell, relate, report', 'etat': 'this', 'pṛcchataḥ': 'of (me) asking

• of one who inquires', 'mama': 'of me / to me'}

Characters & Entities

• Sūta (addressed person, traditionally Ugraśravas Sauti)
• Kamalapatrākṣa (epithet of the addressed Sūta)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse models respectful questioning and the ethical expectation that a learned traveler or bard should share what he has learned truthfully and clearly when asked, for the benefit of the community of listeners.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the opening setting of the Mahābhārata, the assembled sages address the Sūta (Sauti) and ask where he has come from and how he has spent his time, inviting him to begin his report—setting the stage for the epic’s narration.