Shloka 6
Vyāsa’s Inquiry into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Tapas and the Identification of Vidura with Dharma
धृतराष्ट्र महाबाहो शृणु कौरवनन्दन । श्रुतं ते ज्ञानवृद्धानामृषीणां पुण्यकर्मणाम्
dhṛtarāṣṭra mahābāho śṛṇu kauravanandana | śrutaṃ te jñānavṛddhānām ṛṣīṇāṃ puṇyakarmaṇām ||
ഹേ മഹാബാഹു ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രാ, ഹേ കൗരവനന്ദനാ! കേൾക്കുക—ഇത് ഞാൻ ജ്ഞാനത്തിൽ പക്വരായ, പുണ്യകർമ്മികളായ ഋഷിമാരിൽ നിന്ന് ശ്രവിച്ചതാണ്.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the ethical authority of the forthcoming account: it is grounded in the testimony of sages who are both wise (jñānavṛddha) and virtuous in action (puṇyakarman). It implies that reliable guidance comes from those whose knowledge is matured and whose conduct is righteous.
Vaiśampāyana addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra with respectful epithets and urges him to listen, introducing that what follows is a tradition he has heard from venerable ṛṣis. It functions as a narrative preface, signaling a shift into an authoritative report or instruction.