Shloka 1
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत आपद्धर्मपर्वमें कृतध्नका उपाख्यानविषयक एक सौ सत्तरवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ १७० ॥/ अपन का छा | अत---#करत एकसप्तत्याधिकशततमो< ध्याय: गौतमका राक्षसराजके यहाँसे सुवर्णणशि लेकर लौटना और अपने मित्र बकके वधका घृणित विचार मनमें लाना भीष्म उवाच ततः स विदितो राज्ञ: प्रविश्य गृहमुत्तमम् । पूजितो राक्षसेन्द्रेण निषसादासनोत्तमे,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर राजाको उसके आगमनकी सूचना दी गयी और वह उनके उत्तम भवनमें प्रविष्ट हुआ। वहाँ राक्षसराजने उसका विधिवत् पूजन किया। तत्पश्चात् वह एक उत्तम आसनपर विराजमान हुआ
bhīṣma uvāca | tataḥ sa vidito rājñaḥ praviśya gṛham uttamam | pūjito rākṣasendreṇa niṣasādāsanottame ||
Bhishma said: Thereafter, the king was informed of his arrival, and the visitor entered the king’s splendid residence. The lord of the Rakshasas received him with due honor, and then he sat upon an excellent seat. The episode underscores the outward observance of hospitality and protocol—an ethical surface that may conceal darker intentions soon to unfold in the narrative.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic ideal of honoring a guest and observing proper royal protocol. In the broader ethical frame of Āpaddharma narratives, such outward correctness can stand in tension with inner motives, preparing the reader to judge actions by intention and consequence, not merely by formal courtesy.
A visitor’s arrival is announced to the king; he enters the royal residence. The Rakshasa-king receives him with formal honor, and the visitor is seated on an excellent seat—setting the scene for the subsequent developments of the episode.