Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
तमेवंवादिनमिष्टजनशोकपरीतात्मा राजा-थोवाच,राजाका हृदय अपनी प्यारी रानीके विनाशके शोकसे दग्ध हो रहा था। उन्होंने उपर्युक्त बातें कहनेवाले मण्डूकराजसे कहा--
tam evaṁ-vādinaṁ iṣṭa-jana-śoka-parītātmā rājā ’tho ’vāca | rājñaḥ hṛdayaṁ svāṁ priyāṁ rājñīṁ vinaṣṭāṁ śocan duḥkhena dagdhaṁ babhūva | sa uparyuktāni vacāṁsi vadantaṁ maṇḍūka-rājaṁ pratyuvāca —
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Entonces el rey, con el ánimo cercado por el dolor por sus seres amados, habló. Su corazón estaba abrasado por la pena ante la pérdida de su querida reina. Dirigiéndose al Rey de las Ranas, que acababa de pronunciar aquellas palabras, respondió—
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse foregrounds the ethical and psychological reality of grief: even a king, expected to be steady and discerning, can be inwardly consumed by personal loss. It sets the stage for a response where sorrow, duty, and moral reasoning will be tested in dialogue.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the king—overwhelmed by grief at his queen’s death—turns to reply to the frog-king (Maṇḍūka-rāja) who has just spoken. This verse functions as a transition into the king’s answer.