Shloka 8

Duḥṣanta at Kaṇva-Āśrama; Śakuntalā’s Reception and Origin Prelude (दुःषन्तस्य कण्वाश्रमागमनम्)

Devanagari script

श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वेन सम्भवं कृत्स्नमादित: । प्राणिनां चैव सर्वेषां सम्भवं वक्तुमहसि,जनमेजय बोले--भगवन्‌! मैं देवता, दानवसमुदाय, गन्धर्व, अप्सरा, मनुष्य, यक्ष, राक्षस तथा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंकी उत्पत्ति यथार्थरूपसे सुनना चाहता हूँ। आप कृपा करके आरम्भसे ही इन सबकी उत्पत्तिका यथावत्‌ वर्णन कीजिये

Transliteration

śrotum icchāmi tattvena sambhavaṁ kṛtsnam āditaḥ | prāṇināṁ caiva sarveṣāṁ sambhavaṁ vaktum arhasi ||

Translation

Janamejaya dijo: «Venerable señor, deseo oír conforme a la verdad el relato completo, desde el principio, del origen de todos los seres. Tú eres digno de exponerme la génesis entera de toda criatura viviente».

Word by Word

• {'śrotum': 'to hear (infinitive of √śru)', 'icchāmi': 'I desire, I wish', 'tattvena': 'in truth

• accurately', 'sambhavam': 'origin, birth, coming-into-being', 'kṛtsnam': 'entire, complete, whole', 'āditaḥ': 'from the beginning, from the outset', 'prāṇinām': 'of living beings, creatures', 'ca eva': 'and indeed

• also', 'sarveṣām': 'of all', 'vaktum': 'to speak, to tell (infinitive of √vac)', 'arhasi': 'you are fit/worthy

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds a disciplined pursuit of truth (tattvena) through attentive listening and qualified instruction: a seeker requests a complete, accurate account from a competent narrator, emphasizing integrity in transmitting sacred history and origins.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya addresses the sage-narrator and asks for a thorough explanation, from the very beginning, of the origins of all living beings—setting up a broader cosmological and genealogical narration within the Adi Parva.