Shloka 6

Devanagari script

स लब्ध्वा शनकै: संज्ञां वेपमानो महीपति: । पुनर्गावल्‍गर्णिं सूतं पर्यपृच्छद्‌ यथातथम्‌,फिर धीरे-धीरे होशमें आनेपर काँपते हुए राजा धृतराष्ट्रने पुन: सूतजातीय संजयसे युद्धका यथावत्‌ समाचार पूछा

Transliteration

sa labdhvā śanakaiḥ saṃjñāṃ vepamāno mahīpatiḥ | punar gāvalgaṇiṃ sūtaṃ paryapṛcchad yathātatham ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: When the king gradually regained consciousness, trembling, he once again questioned the charioteer Sañjaya, son of Gāvalgaṇa, asking for the true and complete report of the battle as it had occurred.

Word by Word

सःhe

लब्ध्वाhaving obtained

शनकैःgradually, slowly

संज्ञाम्consciousness, awareness

वेपमानःtrembling

महीपतिःthe king (lord of the earth)

पुनःagain

गावल्गणिम्Gāvalgaṇi (patronymic: son/descendant of Gavalgaṇa; i.e., Sañjaya)

सूतम्the charioteer/bard (sūta)

पर्यपृच्छत्asked, inquired

यथाas, according to

तथम्so, thus (accordingly)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Sañjaya (Gāvalgaṇi)

Kurukṣetra war (implied)

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?

The verse highlights the ethical demand for truthful reporting (yathātatham) and the burden of moral responsibility: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s trembling inquiry reflects the inner turmoil of a ruler who hears the consequences of choices he enabled but did not restrain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, overwhelmed by the news of the war, slowly regains consciousness and, still shaking, asks Sañjaya again to recount the battle events accurately and in full.