Shloka 3
अद्भुतं महदाश्चर्य श्रूयते कुरुनन्दन । स्त्रियो बालाश्च वृद्धाश्व कथयन्ति गृहे गृहे,“कुरुनन्दन! एक अद्भुत और अत्यन्त आश्वर्यकी बात सुनायी देती है। घर-घरमें स्त्री बालक और बूढ़े इसीकी चर्चा करते हैं। जो यहाँके निवासी हैं, वे तथा जो बाहरसे आये हुए हैं, वे भी आदरपूर्वक उसी बातको कहते हैं। चौराहोंपर और सभाओंमें भी पृथक्-पृथक् वही चर्चा चलती है
adbhutaṁ mahad āścaryaṁ śrūyate kurunandana | striyo bālāś ca vṛddhāś ca kathayanti gṛhe gṛhe ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O joy of the Kurus, a great and wondrous marvel is being heard. In every household, women, children, and the aged are speaking of it.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary events—often read as omens—permeate society and shape collective judgment. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, widespread ‘wonder’ is not mere gossip: it signals a moral and political crisis approaching, urging rulers to attend to dharma and public conscience.
Vaiśampāyana reports to his listener that a remarkable, astonishing matter is being heard everywhere. People across social groups—women, children, and elders—are discussing it in every household, indicating that the news/omen has become a city-wide (and kingdom-wide) topic.