Shloka 36
Jayadrathasya śoka-bhaya-vilāpaḥ — Droṇena āśvāsanaṃ ca
Jayadratha’s lament and Droṇa’s reassurance
तस्य तद् वचन श्रुत्वा नारदो वरद: प्रभु: । आख्यानमिदमाचष्ट पुत्रशोकापहं महत्,राजाकी यह बात सुनकर वर देनेमें समर्थ एवं प्रभावशाली नारदजीने यह पुत्रशोकनाशक उत्तम उपाख्यान कहना आरम्भ किया
tasya tad vacanaṁ śrutvā nārado varadaḥ prabhuḥ | ākhyānam idam ācaṣṭa putraśokāpahaṁ mahat ||
Hearing those words, Nārada—mighty and capable of granting boons—began to relate this great narrative, an exalted tale meant to dispel the grief of a son’s loss. In the midst of war and ruin, the text turns to consolatory instruction: sorrow is met not by denial, but by a dharmic account that reorients the listener toward endurance, insight, and right understanding.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
That overwhelming grief—especially the grief of losing a son—can be eased through dharmic understanding conveyed by an instructive narrative: the listener is guided from raw lament toward insight, acceptance of impermanence, and steadiness of mind.
After hearing the preceding speaker’s words, the sage Nārada, renowned for spiritual authority and the power to grant boons, begins to narrate a significant upākhyāna (embedded tale) specifically intended to remove the hearer’s sorrow over a son.