Shloka 191
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
मार्कण्डेयसमास्यायामुपाख्यानानि सर्वश: । पृथोर्वैन्यस्य यत्रोक्तमाख्यानं परमर्षिणा,पाण्डवोंका महामुनि मार्कण्डेयके साथ समागम हुआ। वहाँ महर्षिने बहुत-से उपाख्यान सुनाये। उनमें वेनपुत्र पृुथुका भी उपाख्यान है
mārkaṇḍeyasamāsyāyām upākhyānāni sarvaśaḥ | pṛthor vainyasya yatroktam ākhyānaṃ paramarṣiṇā ||
Au fil de l’entretien avec Mārkaṇḍeya, de nombreux récits secondaires furent rapportés en entier. Parmi eux, le voyant suprême conta la célèbre histoire de Pṛthu, fils de Vena, donnée comme exemple d’une royauté conforme au dharma et du rétablissement de l’ordre.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the Pṛthu–Vena episode as an upākhyāna (illustrative tale) within a sage’s discourse, implying that exemplary stories of rulers are used to teach dharma—especially the duties of kingship, the correction of disorder, and governance oriented toward the welfare of the world.
During a dialogue with the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, numerous instructive sub-stories are narrated. One of these is the account of Pṛthu, identified as Vena’s son (Vainya), which is introduced here as part of the larger sequence of teachings and exempla.