Shloka 15
Jarītā–Śārṅgā-saṃvāda: Ākhu-haraṇa and the Approach of Agni (आखुहरणं अग्न्यागमनश्च)
वैशम्पायन उवाच शृणु मे ब्रुवतो राजन् सर्वमेतद् यथातथम् । यन्निमित्तं ददाहाग्नि: खाण्डवं पृथिवीपते,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--महाराज जनमेजय! अग्निदेवने जिस कारण खाण्डववनको जलाया, वह सब वृत्तान्त मैं यथावत् बतलाता हूँ, सुनो
vaiśampāyana uvāca
śṛṇu me bruvato rājan sarvam etad yathātatham |
yan-nimittaṃ dadāhāgniḥ khāṇḍavaṃ pṛthivīpate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, listen as I speak—everything just as it truly happened. O lord of the earth, I shall relate the very cause for which Agni burned the Khāṇḍava forest.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds truthful transmission of events (yathātatham) and the importance of understanding causes (nimitta) behind dramatic actions, especially when divine forces are involved.
Vaiśampāyana addresses King Janamejaya and introduces the forthcoming explanation of why Agni set the Khāṇḍava forest on fire, signaling a transition into the causal backstory of the Khāṇḍava-burning episode.