Shloka 373
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
यथा च नृपतिर्दग्धो देव्यौ ते चेति पाण्डव । पुरुषप्रवर पाण्डव! जिस प्रकार राजा धृतराष्ट्र तथा उन दोनों देवियोंका दाह हुआ है, यह सारा समाचार मैंने वहीं सुना था
yathā ca nṛpatir dagdho devyau te ceti pāṇḍava | puruṣapravara pāṇḍava! yathā rājā dhṛtarāṣṭra tathā ca te dve devyau dagdhāḥ, etat sarvaṃ samācāraṃ mayā tatraiva śrutam āsa |
Nārada said: “O Pāṇḍava, foremost among men—just as the king was burned, and those two royal ladies as well—this entire account of how King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the two queens met their end in the fire, I heard there itself. I report it to you as reliable testimony, so that you may accept the event with steadiness and discernment, without being shaken by grief.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores impermanence and the need for steadiness: even great kings and revered elders meet inevitable ends. Nārada’s emphasis on having heard the report directly also models responsible transmission of truth—grief should be met with discernment grounded in reliable knowledge.
Nārada addresses a Pāṇḍava (primarily Yudhiṣṭhira) and reports the news that King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the two queens were consumed by fire. He states that he heard the full account on the spot, presenting himself as a trustworthy messenger of the event.