Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
धर्मश्रितेयं तु कथा कथितेयं तवानघ । या श्र॒ुत्वा मुनयः प्रीता नैमिषारण्यवासिन:,निष्पाप युधिष्ठिर! यह मैंने धर्मयुक्त कथा कही है। इसे सुनकर नैमिषारण्यनिवासी मुनि बड़े प्रसन्न हुए थे
dharmāśriteyaṁ tu kathā kathiteyaṁ tavānagha | yā śrutvā munayaḥ prītā naimiṣāraṇyavāsinaḥ ||
O sinless one, this narrative I have told you is grounded in dharma. Hearing it, the sages dwelling in Naimiṣāraṇya were greatly delighted—affirming that a discourse aligned with righteousness brings clarity and joy to the wise.
युधिछिर उवाच
A narrative grounded in dharma is not mere entertainment; it functions as ethical instruction. Its value is validated by the response of the wise—those devoted to truth and discipline—who rejoice when dharma is clearly articulated.
The speaker concludes or commends the preceding account as dharma-based and notes that, upon hearing it, the sages living in Naimiṣāraṇya became pleased—signaling approval of the story’s moral and spiritual tenor.