Shloka 6
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
तस्मान्निशम्य सत्यं मे कुरुष्व यदनन्तरम् । (यस्तु राजा वसुर्नाम श्रुतस्ते भरतर्षभ । तस्य शुक्रादहं मत्स्याद् धृता कुक्षौ पुरा किल ।।
tasmān niśamya satyaṃ me kuruṣva yad anantaram | (yas tu rājā vasur nāma śrutas te bharatarṣabha | tasya śukrād ahaṃ matsyād dhṛtā kukṣau purā kila || mātaraṃ me jalād dhṛtvā dāśaḥ paramadharmavit | māṃ tu svagṛham ānīya duhitṛtve hy akalpayat || dharmayuktasya dharmārtha pitur āsīt tarī mama ||)
“Karena itu, setelah mendengar kisahku yang benar, lakukanlah apa yang patut dilakukan selanjutnya. Wahai yang terbaik di antara Bhārata, engkau tentu pernah mendengar nama Raja Vasu. Dahulu kala aku dikandung dari benihnya; seekor ikan membawa aku di dalam perutnya. Seorang dāśa—seorang pengemudi perahu—yang amat mengetahui dharma, menangkap ibuku dari air, mengeluarkan aku dari perutnya, membawaku ke rumahnya, dan membesarkanku sebagai putrinya. Orang saleh itu—ayahku—memiliki sebuah perahu, yang ia jalankan demi dharma (bukan semata-mata demi keuntungan).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage foregrounds satya (truthful disclosure) as the basis for deciding proper action (yad anantaram), and it praises dharma lived in ordinary roles: the ferryman is called paramadharmavit, and even his livelihood (the boat) is framed as dharmārtha—service aligned with duty rather than mere gain.
A woman recounts her origin story: she was conceived from King Vasu, carried within a fish, then rescued from the fish’s belly by a righteous ferryman who raised her as his daughter. She urges the listener to hear this truth and then act appropriately in response.