Shloka 43
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
अथ वकद्रिदृषिस्तेषां सारस्वतमुपेयिवान्
atha vakadr̥dṛṣis teṣāṃ sārasvatam upeyivān
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the sage Vakadr̥dṛṣi approached Sārasvata in their presence, moving toward him as the narrative turns to the counsel and intervention of seers amid the turmoil of war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of conflict, the epic foregrounds the role of ṛṣis: moral and strategic clarity is sought through learned counsel, reminding listeners that dharma is preserved by guidance, restraint, and right discernment.
The narrator reports a shift of scene: the sage Vakadr̥dṛṣi goes to meet Sārasvata, indicating an impending exchange—typically advice, mediation, or a consequential instruction—set before the assembled parties (“of them”).