Shloka 5
मधुकैटभवधोपाख्यानम्
The Account of the Slaying of Madhu and Kaiṭabha
एतदिच्छामि भगवन् बकशक्रसमागमम् | सुखदुःखसमायुक्तं तत्त्वेन कथयस्व मे,“भगवन्! बक और इन्द्रका यह समागम (चिरजीवी पुरुषोंके) सुख और दुःखकी वातसि युक्त कहा गया है। मैं इसे सुनना चाहता हूँ; आप यथार्थरूपसे इसका वर्णन करें!
etad icchāmi bhagavan bakaśakrasamāgamam | sukhaduḥkhasamāyuktaṃ tattvena kathayasva me |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「尊き御方よ、バカとシャクラ（インドラ）とのこの邂逅をお聞かせ願いたい。長命の者たちにとって、喜びと悲しみの双方に結びつくと申されるゆえ、起こったままの真実を、ありのままに語ってください。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a key epic value: truthful narration (tattvena) and the recognition that significant encounters often carry intertwined outcomes of joy and sorrow (sukha-duḥkha). It models ethical listening and teaching—seeking an accurate account rather than rumor or embellishment.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, signals a transition: he (or the inquirer within the frame) requests a faithful telling of the episode concerning the meeting between Baka and Śakra (Indra), described as involving both happiness and suffering for long-lived beings.