Shloka 1
कुरुवंशप्रश्नः—दुःषन्तस्य राजधर्मवर्णनम्
Kuru Lineage Inquiry and the Portrait of King Duḥṣanta’s Rule
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके २ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ५५ श्लोक हैं) द्विषष्टितमो5 ध्याय: महाभारतकी महत्ता जनमेजय उवाच कथितं वै समासेन त्वया सर्व द्विजोत्तम । महाभारतमाख्यानं कुरूणां चरितं महत्,जनमेजयने कहा--द्विजश्रेष्ठ! आपने कुरुवंशियोंके चरित्ररूप महान् महाभारत नामक सम्पूर्ण इतिहासका बहुत संक्षेपसे वर्णन किया है
janamejaya uvāca | kathitaṃ vai samāsena tvayā sarva dvijottama | mahābhāratam ākhyānaṃ kurūṇāṃ caritaṃ mahat ||
Janamejaya disse: “Ó melhor entre os duas-vezes-nascidos, tu narraste de fato—de modo breve e, ainda assim, completo—o grande relato chamado Mahābhārata, a vasta e grave história dos feitos e destinos dos Kurus.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the Mahābhārata as a comprehensive yet summarizable itihāsa of the Kurus, implying that ethical and political wisdom (dharma in lived form) can be transmitted through a well-structured narrative tradition.
In the frame dialogue, King Janamejaya addresses the sage (dvijottama), acknowledging that the Mahābhārata—the great account of the Kurus’ deeds—has been recounted to him in a concise summary, setting up further discussion on the epic’s significance.