Shloka 3
मायासभायां दुर्योधनस्य अवमान-प्रसङ्गः
Duryodhana’s Humiliation in the Hall of Māyā
ततः सभार्य नृपतिं सामात्यं सपुरोहितम् । चिन्तासम्मूढहृदयं वागुवाचाशरीरिणी,पत्नी, पुरोहित तथा मन्त्रियोंसहित चेदिराजका हृदय चिन्तासे मोहित हो रहा था। उस समय आकाशवाणी हुई--
tataḥ sabhāryaṁ nṛpatiṁ sāmātyaṁ sapurohitam | cintāsammūḍhahṛdayaṁ vāguvāca aśarīriṇī ||
Then, as the king of Cedi—together with his queen, ministers, and family priest—stood with a heart bewildered by anxious thought, a disembodied voice spoke. The moment frames a moral turning point: when human judgment is clouded by fear and uncertainty, a higher admonition intervenes to redirect the course of action toward what is right.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the mind is overwhelmed by anxiety and confusion, one becomes prone to error; the verse signals that dharmic correction may come through authoritative counsel—here dramatized as a disembodied voice—urging restraint and right judgment.
Bhīṣma describes the Cedi king (Śiśupāla) standing with his queen, ministers, and priest, mentally shaken by worry; at that moment an aśarīriṇī vāk (heavenly, bodiless voice) addresses him, foreshadowing a decisive admonition.