Shloka 86
Āśvamedha-dīkṣā-nirdeśaḥ — Scheduling the Initiation and Assigning Protection for the Horse
शुश्रुवुस्ते तदा वीरा: पितुस्ते जन्म भारत । भरतनन्दन! तत्पश्चात् उन वीरोंने तुम्हारे पिताके जन्मका वह आश्षर्यपूर्ण विचित्र, महान् एवं अदभुत वृत्तान्त सुना
śuśruvus te tadā vīrāḥ pitus te janma bhārata | bharatanandana! tatpaścāt un vīroṃne tumhāre pitāke janmakā vaha āścaryapūrṇa vicitra, mahān evaṃ adbhuta vṛttānta sunā |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Then those heroes heard, O Bhārata, the account of your father’s birth. O joy of the Bharata line, thereafter those warriors narrated to you that wondrous, extraordinary, great, and marvelous story concerning your father’s origin.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Itihāsa method of transmitting dharma through remembered lineage-stories: the greatness of a dynasty is preserved by attentive listening and faithful narration, and extraordinary origins are presented as morally meaningful history rather than mere spectacle.
Vaiśampāyana tells Janamejaya that the assembled heroes first heard about the birth of Janamejaya’s father, and then they related to him a wondrous and remarkable account describing that birth.