Shloka 22
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 53: Arjuna’s Jayadratha-vadha Pratijñā and Droṇa’s Protective Vyūha (शकटा-पद्म व्यूहः)
एवमुक्ता तु सा तेन मृत्यु: कमललोचना
evamuktā tu sā tena mṛtyuḥ kamalalocanā
Nārada said: Thus addressed by him, that lotus-eyed lady—Death—was moved to respond and to set her appointed work in motion.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and narrative weight of speech: when a figure of authority addresses even Death, the encounter frames mortality as a moral and cosmic principle that can be engaged through dharmic discourse, not merely feared as an end.
Nārada narrates a transition: someone has spoken to (addressed) Death, described as a lotus-eyed lady, and the story moves to Death’s ensuing response or action—setting up the next development in the episode.