Shloka 1

Devanagari script

/ (दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ४ ६ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल १३१६ “लोक हैं) चतु:षष्टितमो<5 ध्याय: ब्राह्मणोंद्वारा क्षत्रियवंशकी उत्पत्ति और वृद्धि तथा उस समयके धार्मिक राज्यका वर्णन; असुरोंका जन्म और उनके भारसे पीड़ित पृथ्वीका ब्रह्माजीकी शरणमें जाना तथा ब्रह्माजीका देवताओंको अपने अंशसे पृथ्वीपर जन्म लेनेका आदेश जनमेजय उवाच य एते कीर्तिता ब्रद्मन्‌ ये चान्ये नानुकीर्तिता: । सम्यक्‌ ताउ्छोतुमिच्छामि राज्ञश्चान्यानू सहस्रशः,जनमेजय बोले--ब्रह्म! आपने यहाँ जिन राजाओंके नाम बताये हैं और जिन दूसरे नरेशोंके नाम यहाँ नहीं लिये हैं, उन सब सहस्रों राजाओंका मैं भलीभाँति परिचय सुनना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

Janamejaya uvāca | ye ete kīrtitā brahman ye cānye nānukīrtitāḥ | samyak tān śrotum icchāmi rājñaś cānyānū sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Janamejaya said: “O Brahman, I wish to hear in full about those kings whose names you have recounted here, and also about the many others whose names have not been mentioned—indeed, about those thousands of rulers as well.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'जनमेजय (Janamejaya)', 'definition': 'Name of the Kuru king

• the inquirer in the frame narrative of the Mahābhārata.'}, {'term': 'उवाच (uvāca)', 'definition': 'said

• spoke.'}, {'term': 'ये (ye)', 'definition': 'who

• those who.'}, {'term': 'एते (ete)', 'definition': 'these (here mentioned).'}, {'term': 'कीर्तिताः (kīrtitāḥ)', 'definition': 'praised/celebrated

• mentioned.'}, {'term': 'ब्रह्मन् (brahman)', 'definition': 'O Brahmin

• respectful address to a learned priest/sage (here the narrator).'}, {'term': 'च (ca)', 'definition': 'and.'}, {'term': 'अन्ये (anye)', 'definition': 'others.'}, {'term': 'नानुकीर्तिताः (nānukīrtitāḥ)', 'definition': 'not recounted

• not mentioned (na + anukīrtita).'}, {'term': 'सम्यक् (samyak)', 'definition': 'completely

• in full.'}, {'term': 'तान् (tān)', 'definition': 'them (accusative plural).'}, {'term': 'श्रोतुम् (śrotum)', 'definition': 'to hear.'}, {'term': 'इच्छामि (icchāmi)', 'definition': 'I desire

• I wish.'}, {'term': 'राज्ञः (rājñaḥ)', 'definition': 'of kings / kings (genitive/ablative singular used in a collective sense

• contextually ‘kings’).'}, {'term': 'सहस्रशः (sahasraśaḥ)', 'definition': 'by the thousand

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Brahman (address to the narrator-sage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethic of careful listening and complete transmission: a responsible seeker asks not only for what is already celebrated but also for what is omitted, valuing comprehensive knowledge of lineage and rulership as part of preserving tradition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within the frame dialogue, King Janamejaya addresses the Brahmin narrator and requests a fuller account of the royal lineages—both the kings already named and the many others not yet mentioned—asking to hear about them in their thousands.