Shloka 5
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 96 — काश्यकन्याहरणं, शाल्वसमागमः, अम्बावचनं च
Kāśī princesses taken; encounter with Śālva; Ambā’s declaration
गुणप्रभाववीर्यौज:सत्त्वोत्साहवतामहम् । न तृप्यामि कथां शृण्वन्नमृतास्वादसम्मिताम्,ये सभी नरेश उत्तम गुण, प्रभाव, बल-पराक्रम, ओज, सत्त्व (धैर्य) और उत्साहसे सम्पन्न थे। इनकी कथा अमृतके समान मधुर है, उसे सुनते-सुनते मुझे तृप्ति नहीं हो रही है
guṇa-prabhāva-vīrya-ojas-sattvotsāhavatām aham | na tṛpyāmi kathāṁ śṛṇvann amṛtāsvāda-sammitām ||
Janamejaya said: “As I listen to this account of kings endowed with noble qualities—splendour, influence, valour, vital energy, steadfast courage, and ardent zeal—I do not feel satisfied. Their story is as sweet as the taste of nectar; the more I hear it, the more my longing to hear continues.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of kingship: rulers should embody virtue, influence used rightly, valour, inner vigor, steadfast courage, and enthusiastic resolve. It also affirms the transformative power of listening—noble narratives, when heard attentively, become ‘nectar-like’ and deepen one’s desire for dharmic understanding rather than producing mere entertainment.
Janamejaya, absorbed in the recitation, expresses that he cannot get enough of the account of exemplary kings. He urges the continuation of the story by declaring that its sweetness is like nectar and that hearing it does not bring satiety.