Shloka 101
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
दुर्वत्त धार्तराष्ट्राणामुक्तवान् भगवानृषि: । इदं शतसहसंरं तु लोकानां पुण्यकर्मणाम्
durvṛtta-dhārtarāṣṭrāṇām uktavān bhagavān ṛṣiḥ | idaṁ śata-sahasraṁ tu lokānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām |
The revered sage declared that the Dhārtarāṣṭras were of wicked conduct. He further proclaimed: “This (Mahābhārata) is a hundred-thousand-verse work, meant for the peoples of the world who seek merit through righteous action,” thus framing the epic as both a moral judgment on adharma and a guide toward पुण्य (ethical merit).
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts wicked conduct (durvṛtta) with the epic’s purpose: to guide people toward puṇya through righteous action. It presents the Mahābhārata as a moral instrument—condemning adharma (as exemplified by the Dhārtarāṣṭras) and commending ethical living.
In the opening framing of the epic, the narrator-sage characterizes the Dhārtarāṣṭras as morally wayward and identifies the work being introduced as a vast composition of a hundred thousand verses, intended for the moral and spiritual benefit of the world.