Shloka 8
अर्जुनदुःखहेतुप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the cause of Arjuna’s recurring hardship
Book 14, Chapter 89
प्रतिगृह्म धरां राजन् व्यास: सत्यवतीसुत:
pratigṛhya dharāṃ rājan vyāsaḥ satyavatīsutaḥ
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, having accepted the earth (the gift of land), Vyāsa—the son of Satyavatī—(proceeded accordingly).” The line underscores the ethical weight of accepting a royal gift: once received, it binds the recipient to act with integrity and restraint, especially when the giver is a ruler and the recipient a revered sage.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic seriousness of accepting a gift—especially land—from a king. Formal acceptance (pratigraha) creates a moral obligation to use the gift rightly and to remain free from greed or misuse, reflecting the ideal conduct expected of a sage.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Vyāsa, identified by the epithet “son of Satyavatī,” accepts a grant of land/earth from the king. The statement functions as a narrative pivot: the acceptance marks a completed ritual-social transaction and sets up whatever action or disposition follows from Vyāsa’s receiving the gift.