Shloka 187
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
अपृच्छत् स तदा राजा मन्त्रिणस्तान् सुदु:ःखित: । उत्तड़कस्यैव सांनिध्ये पितु: स्वर्गगतिं प्रति,उस समय राजा जनमेजयने अत्यन्त दुःखी होकर उत्तंकके निकट ही मन्त्रियोंसे पिताके स्वर्गगमनका समाचार पूछा
apṛcchat sa tadā rājā mantriṇas tān suduḥkhitaḥ | uttaṅkasyaiva sānnidhye pituḥ svargagatiṃ prati ||
Then King Janamejaya, overwhelmed with grief, questioned his ministers—while Uttanka stood nearby—about the report concerning his father’s departure to heaven. The scene underscores a ruler’s dependence on truthful counsel in moments of personal loss, and the ethical weight of conveying news about death with clarity and responsibility.
उत्तड़क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic importance of truthful, responsible counsel: even a king in grief must seek reliable information, and ministers bear ethical duty in reporting matters as grave as a ruler’s death.
Janamejaya, distressed, questions his ministers about the news of his father’s ‘going to heaven’ (i.e., death), doing so in Uttanka’s presence—setting the emotional and political context for subsequent actions.