Shloka 1
Adhyāya 196: Droṇa’s Conciliatory Counsel and Karṇa’s Suspicion of Counsel (मन्त्र-नय-विवादः)
व्यासजीने कहा--पांचालनरेश! पूर्व कालकी बात है, नैमिषारण्य क्षेत्रमें देवता लोग एक यज्ञ कर रहे थे। उस समय वहाँ सूर्यपुत्र यम शामित्र (यज्ञ)-कार्य करते थे
vyāsa uvāca—pāñcālanareśa! pūrva-kālasya vṛttānto 'yam; naimiṣāraṇya-kṣetre devāḥ yajñaṃ kurvanti sma. tasmin kāle tatra sūrya-putraḥ yamaḥ śāmitraḥ (yajña)-kāryaṃ karoti sma.
Vyāsa disse: “Ó rei de Pañcāla, eis um relato dos tempos antigos. Na região sagrada de Naimiṣāraṇya, os deuses realizavam um sacrifício. Então Yama, filho do Sol, ali se encontrava, oficiando e cumprindo os deveres do rito.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma through yajña: cosmic and social order is sustained by disciplined ritual duty, and even great deities like Yama are portrayed as performing service within a sacred rite, modeling responsibility and moral order.
Vyasa begins an ancient-time episode addressed to the king of Panchala, setting the scene in Naimisharanya where the gods are conducting a sacrifice, with Yama acting as the officiant performing the yajña-related work.