Shloka 1

Devanagari script

षष्टितमो< ध्याय: जनमेजयके यज्ञमें व्यासमजीका आगमन, सत्कार तथा राजाकी प्रार्थनासे व्यासजीका वैशम्पायनजीसे महाभारत- कथा सुनानेके लिये कहना सौतिरुवाच श्र॒त्वा तु सर्पसत्राय दीक्षितं जनमेजयम्‌ । अभ्यगच्छदृषिर्विद्वान्‌ कृष्णद्वैपायनस्तदा,उग्रश्रवाजी कहते हैं--शौनक! जब विद्वान महर्षि श्रीकृष्णद्वैधयायनने यह सुना कि राजा जनमेजय सर्पयज्ञकी दीक्षा ले चुके हैं, तब वे वहाँ आये

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | śrutvā tu sarpasatrāya dīkṣitaṃ janamejayam | abhyagacchad ṛṣir vidvān kṛṣṇadvaipāyanas tadā ||

Translation

Ugraśravas (Sauti) said: “O Śaunaka, when the wise sage Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) heard that King Janamejaya had been consecrated for the serpent-sacrifice (sarpa-satra), he came there at once.”

Word by Word

सौतिःSauti (Ugraśravas), the bard’s son

उवाचsaid

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

तुindeed/and/but

सर्पसत्रायfor the snake-sacrifice (snake-session)

दीक्षितम्initiated (consecrated)

जनमेजयम्Janamejaya

अभ्यगच्छत्approached/went to

ऋषिःthe sage

विद्वान्learned, wise

कृष्णद्वैपायनःKṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)

तदाthen

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

Janamejaya

Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)

Sarpasatra (serpent-sacrifice)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s great ritual acts should be met with the guidance of the wise: the arrival of Vyāsa signals that knowledge of dharma and the larger story of human action and consequence must inform powerful, emotionally charged undertakings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya has taken dīkṣā for the sarpasatra. Hearing this, the sage Vyāsa comes to the sacrificial venue, initiating the sequence that leads to the Mahābhārata being recounted in that setting.