Shloka 5
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Grief, Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation, and Vyāsa’s Admonition (युधिष्ठिरशोक-निवारणोपदेशः)
श्रुताश्ष॒ राजधर्मास्ति भीष्माद् भागीरथीसुतात् । कृष्णद्वैपायनाच्चैव नारदाद् विदुरात् तथा
śrutāś ca rājadharmās te bhīṣmād bhāgīrathī-sutāt | kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyanāc caiva nāradād vidurāt tathā ||
«Tu as déjà entendu de Bhīṣma, fils de la Bhāgīrathī (Gaṅgā), l’exposé du rājadharma. De même, tu as reçu l’enseignement du devoir et de la conduite juste de Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, du sage divin Nārada, et aussi de Vidura.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Righteous governance (rājadharma) is not self-invented; it is learned through attentive listening to established authorities—Bhīṣma, Vyāsa, Nārada, and Vidura—whose counsel embodies ethical and practical wisdom for rulers.
Vaiśampāyana reminds the listener that they have already received extensive instruction on kingship and duty from renowned teachers. This functions as a transition, situating the current discussion within a broader continuum of dharma-teachings in the epic.