Shloka 28
Vāraṇāvata-praveśa and Jatugṛha-saṃdeha
Entry into Vāraṇāvata and Suspicion of the Lac-House
सहसा चुक्रुशुश्ान्ये नरा: शतसहसत्रश: । विस्मयोत्फुल्लनयना: साधु साध्विति भारत,जनमेजय! सैकड़ों और हजारोंकी संख्यामें एक-एक जगह बैठे हुए लोग आश्चर्यचकित नेत्रोंसे देखते हुए सहसा 'साधु-साधु (वाह-वाह)” कहकर कोलाहल मचा देते थे
sahasā cukruśur anye narāḥ śata-sahasraśaḥ | vismayotphulla-nayanāḥ sādhu sādhv iti bhārata janamejaya ||
All at once, other men—by the hundreds and thousands—cried out. With eyes widened in astonishment, they erupted into a clamour, repeatedly exclaiming, “Well done! Well done!”, O Bhārata Janamejaya. The scene conveys a spontaneous public acclaim, where collective wonder turns into loud approval of what has just been witnessed or heard.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary deeds or words can evoke immediate collective recognition: wonder (vismaya) naturally expresses itself as praise. Ethically, it suggests that society publicly affirms what it perceives as admirable, reinforcing shared values through communal approval.
A large gathering reacts suddenly to an impressive event or statement: people, astonished and wide-eyed, break into loud cries of “sādhu, sādhu!” The narrator addresses King Janamejaya, situating the reaction within the frame-story of the epic’s recitation.