Shloka 3
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं तदाचक्ष्व द्विजोत्तम । न हि तृप्यामि पूर्वेषां शृण्वानश्वरितं महत्
etad icchāmy ahaṃ śrotuṃ tad ācakṣva dvijottama | na hi tṛpyāmi pūrveṣāṃ śṛṇvānāścaritaṃ mahat ||
Janamejaya said: “This is what I wish to hear—tell it to me, O best of Brahmins. For I do not grow satisfied while listening to the great and wondrous deeds of my forefathers; therefore, describe it in full.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical value of attentive listening to ancestral narratives: a king seeks guidance and inspiration from the great deeds of predecessors, implying that remembrance of noble conduct sustains dharma and shapes responsible rulership.
King Janamejaya addresses the learned Brahmin narrator and urges him to continue the account. He says he never tires of hearing the extraordinary, great deeds of his forefathers and requests a fuller description.