Shloka 136
कृपवाक्यं तथा नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel and a Discourse on Statecraft
निवासं धर्मराजस्य वर्षेडस्मिन् वै त्रयोदशे । “अतः इस तेरहवें वर्षमें धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरके निवासके सम्बन्धमें दूसरे लोग जैसी धारणा रखते हैं, वैसा मैं नहीं मानता
nivāsaṃ dharmarājasya varṣe 'smin vai trayodaśe |
વૈશંપાયન બોલ્યા—આ તેરમા વર્ષે ધર્મરાજ યુધિષ્ઠિરના નિવાસ અને ગુપ્તવાસ વિષે લોકો જેવો અનુમાન રાખે છે, હું તેવું માનતો નથી.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment in judging dharmic conduct: popular assumptions about a righteous person’s actions (here, Yudhiṣṭhira’s thirteenth-year stay) may be mistaken, and a careful, principled account should replace hearsay.
The narrator Vaiśaṃpāyana introduces or clarifies the account of Yudhiṣṭhira’s residence during the Pandavas’ thirteenth year of concealment, signaling that he will correct a prevailing view and present what he considers the accurate understanding.