Shloka 18
Adhyāya 60: Devagaṇa–Ṛṣi–Prajāpatīnāṃ Sambhavaḥ
Origins of Divine Classes, Sages, and Progenitors
जनमेजय उवाच कुरूणां पाण्डवानां च भवानू प्रत्यक्षदर्शिवान् तेषां चरितमिच्छामि कथ्यमान त्वया द्विज,जनमेजयने कहा--ब्रह्मम! आप कौरवों और पाण्डवोंको प्रत्यक्ष देख चुके हैं; अतः मैं आपके द्वारा वर्णित उनके चरित्रको सुनना चाहता हूँ
janamejaya uvāca | kurūṇāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ ca bhavānū pratyakṣadarśivān | teṣāṃ caritam icchāmi kathyamānaṃ tvayā dvija ||
Janamejaya said: “O Brahmin, you have directly seen both the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas. Therefore I wish to hear, as narrated by you, the account of their conduct and character.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the value of trustworthy narration grounded in direct knowledge: to understand dharma and adharma in a great conflict, one should hear the ‘carita’ (conduct and life-story) from a credible witness, not mere rumor.
King Janamejaya requests the Brahmin narrator to recount the deeds and character of both the Kurus (Kauravas) and the Pāṇḍavas, emphasizing that the narrator has seen them directly and is therefore qualified to describe them.