Shloka 30
उत्तङ्कोपाख्यानप्रारम्भः — Uttanka’s Tapas, Viṣṇu-stuti, and the Dhundhumāra Prophecy
Opening
आशड्कय मद्वचो होतद् धर्मलोपो भवेत् तव | जातोऊसि प्रथिते वंशे कुरूणां भरतर्षभ
āśaṅkya mad-vaco hotad dharma-lopo bhavet tava | jāto ’si prathite vaṃśe kurūṇāṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Agar engkau meragukan ucapanku, dharmamu bisa tergelincir—karena takut akan hal itu aku berkata demikian. Wahai yang terbaik di antara keturunan Bharata, engkau terlahir dalam wangsa Kuru yang termasyhur.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech and counsel must be given with care so that it does not cause a ‘dharma-lopa’ (a lapse from righteousness). One’s conduct should align with the standards of one’s noble lineage—here, the famed Kuru-Bharata tradition—so that dharma is preserved rather than diminished.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, frames his statement as a corrective or clarifying counsel: he fears that his earlier words might be misconstrued and lead the listener into unrighteousness. He therefore reminds the addressee that, being born in the celebrated Kuru line, he must uphold dharma befitting that heritage.