Shloka 16
गान्धारीपुत्रोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of Gāndhārī’s Hundred Sons (and Yuyutsu); Omens and Counsel on Succession
संतापं परमं जग्मुर्मुन॒यस्तपसान्विता: । ते रात्रौ शकुना भूत्वा संनिपत्य तु भारत । दर्शयन्तो यथाशक्ति तमपृच्छन् द्विजोत्तमम्
santāpaṁ paramaṁ jagmur munayas tapasānvitāḥ | te rātrau śakunā bhūtvā saṁnipatya tu bhārata | darśayanto yathāśakti tam apṛcchan dvijottamam ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。タパスに満ちた苦行の聖仙たちは、最も深い苦悩に襲われた。そこで、バーラタよ、夜になると彼らは鳥の姿となってその場に集い、各々の力に応じて己を顕しつつ、最勝の「二度生まれ」—（尊き聖仙マーンダヴィヤ）—に問い、目撃した苦難の道徳的因縁と、その状況においてダルマが何を求めるかを知ろうとした。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful ascetics respond to perceived moral disorder: intense inner distress leads them to seek clarification from a realized authority. It frames dharma as something to be investigated through disciplined inquiry, especially when suffering appears disproportionate to apparent fault.
A group of austerity-filled sages, shaken by what they have seen, assemble at night by assuming bird-forms. They reveal themselves as much as their powers allow and question the eminent twice-born sage (contextually Māṇḍavya), initiating a dialogue about the cause and meaning of the situation.