Shloka 3
Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)
वैशम्पायन उवाच ऋषिरासीन्महावीर्य: कुणिर्ग्गों महायशा: । स तप्त्वा विपुलं राज॑ंस्तपो वै तपतां वरः
vaiśampāyana uvāca: ṛṣir āsīn mahāvīryaḥ kuṇir ggoṃ mahāyaśāḥ | sa taptvā vipulaṃ rājan tapaḥ vai tapatāṃ varaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “There once was a sage of great prowess, Kuṇi, renowned far and wide. O King, foremost among ascetics, he undertook and completed an abundant, arduous austerity.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds tapas (disciplined austerity) as a source of true potency and moral authority: greatness and fame are linked to self-restraint and sustained spiritual effort, not merely to worldly power.
Vaiśampāyana introduces a revered sage named Kuṇi, describing him as famous and powerful, and notes that he performed extensive austerities—setting up a backstory or exemplum that will ground the subsequent events or instruction.