Shloka 7
Bhīmasena’s Counsel on Grief, Inner Conflict, and the Duty of Kingship (भीमसेन-उपदेशः)
एवं गते महाराज राज्यं प्रति जनाधिप । हेतुमत्र प्रवक्ष्यामि तमिहैकमना: शूणु,“महाराज! जनेश्वर! ऐसी स्थितिमें आपको राज्यके प्रति आकृष्ट करनेका जो कारण है, उसे ही यहाँ बता रहा हूँ। आप एकाग्रचित्त होकर सुनें
evaṃ gate mahārāja rājyaṃ prati janādhipa | hetum atra pravakṣyāmi tam ihai-kamanāḥ śṛṇu ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O great king, O lord of the people, since matters have come to this pass, I shall now state the single reason that draws you toward the kingship. Listen here with a mind made one-pointed.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames kingship as a matter requiring clear reasoning and focused listening: before urging a ruler toward sovereignty, the speaker promises to state a definite motive (hetu), implying that political authority should be grounded in a justifiable ethical cause rather than impulse.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a king directly, noting that the situation has reached a decisive point and announcing that he will explain the specific reason for drawing the king toward the kingdom; he asks the king to listen with concentrated attention.