Shloka 32

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एवं प्रवदतोरेव तयोस्तत्र विशाम्पते । धृतराष्ट्रस्य राज्ञश्न विदुरस्यथ च धीमतः,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! इस प्रकार राजा धृतराष्ट्र और बुद्धिमान विदुर जब दोनों वहाँ बातचीत कर रहे थे, उसी समय सभामें महर्षियोंसे घिरे हुए देवर्षि नारद कौरवोंके सामने आकर खड़े हो गये और यह भयंकर वचन बोले--

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | evaṃ pravadator eva tayos tatra viśāṃpate | dhṛtarāṣṭrasya rājñaś ca vidurasya atha ca dhīmataḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: O lord of the people (Janamejaya), while King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the wise Vidura were still speaking there, the divine seer Nārada—surrounded by great sages—came and stood before the Kauravas in the assembly, and then uttered words of grave and ominous import.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaishampayana

उवाचsaid

एवम्thus

प्रवदतोःof the two speaking/conversing

एवindeed/just

तयोःof those two

तत्रthere

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people (Janamejaya)

धृतराष्ट्रस्यof Dhritarashtra

राज्ञःof the king

चand

विदुरस्यof Vidura

अथthen/and now

चand

धीमतःof the wise/intelligent (one)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Janamejaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Vidura

Nārada

Kauravas

Sabhā (assembly hall)

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 weight of counsel in governance: when a king and a wise adviser deliberate, higher moral authority (a devarṣi like Nārada) may intervene, signaling that political decisions are accountable to dharma and can carry grave consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Vidura are in conversation in the assembly; at that very moment Nārada, accompanied by sages, appears before the Kauravas and prepares to speak ominous words, foreshadowing a serious turn in events.