Shloka 10
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
जनमेजय एवमुक्तो देवशुन्या सरमया भृशं सम्भ्रान्तो विषण्णश्वासीत्,देवताओंकी कुतिया सरमाके इस प्रकार शाप देनेपर जनमेजयको बड़ी घबराहट हुई और वे बहुत दुःखी हो गये
Janamejaya evam ukto devaśunyā Saramayā bhṛśaṃ sambhrānto viṣaṇṇaś cāsīt.
When Janamejaya was addressed in this manner by Saramā—the divine hound—he became greatly alarmed and fell into deep dejection. The episode underscores how a ruler’s actions, even when seemingly minor or indirect, can invite moral consequence, and how fear and remorse arise when one recognizes a lapse in dharma toward an innocent being.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must be vigilant about dharma in speech and action, including how others under his authority behave; harm done to the innocent rebounds as moral consequence, and recognition of fault naturally brings fear and remorse.
After Saramā speaks to Janamejaya in a reproachful/curse-giving manner (in context, responding to mistreatment connected with the king’s sphere), Janamejaya becomes intensely alarmed and sorrowful.