Shloka 3
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
स धर्मराजमालक्ष्य भ्राता भ्रातरमग्रजम् । कथयामास तत् सर्व ग्रहणादि विचेष्टितम्,“कुन्तीनन्दन! तुम कैसे इस विपत्तिमें फँस गये? और यह पर्वतके समान लम्बा-चौड़ा श्रेष्ठ नाग कौन है?' अपने बड़े भ्राता धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरको वहाँ उपस्थित देख भाई भीमसेनने अपने पकड़े जाने आदिकी सारी चेष्टाएँ कह सुनायीं
sa dharmarājam ālakṣya bhrātā bhrātaram agrajam | kathayāmāsa tat sarvaṁ grahaṇādi viceṣṭitam ||
Seeing Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira there, the younger brother (Bhīma) approached his elder brother and recounted everything that had happened—beginning with his being seized—explaining the strange course of events. In effect he asks how Yudhiṣṭhira has come into such peril and who this mighty, mountain-like serpent is, thereby placing the episode within the ethical frame of responsibility to kin and the duty to report truthfully in crisis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a moment of danger, dharma expresses itself through clarity and accountability: the younger brother reports the facts to the elder (the dharma-king), enabling right action. The verse highlights truthful communication and fraternal responsibility as ethical necessities in crisis.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīma, upon seeing Yudhiṣṭhira present, tells him the entire sequence of events—starting from his being seized—while implicitly questioning how Yudhiṣṭhira has come into this predicament and identifying the formidable serpent involved.