Shloka 11
कुरुवंशप्रश्नः—दुःषन्तस्य राजधर्मवर्णनम्
Kuru Lineage Inquiry and the Portrait of King Duḥṣanta’s Rule
एतदाचक्ष्व मे सर्व यथावृत्तं तपोधन । यद् यच्च कृतवन्तस्ते तत्र तत्र महारथा:,तपोधन! यह सब वृत्तान्त आप ठीक-ठीक मुझे बताइये। उन महारथी वीरोंने विभिन्न स्थानों और अवसरोंमें जो-जो कर्म किये थे, वह सब सुनाइये
Janamejaya uvāca |
etad ācakṣva me sarvaṃ yathāvṛttaṃ tapodhana |
yad yac ca kṛtavantas te tatra tatra mahārathāḥ ||
Janamejaya disse: “Ó tesouro de austeridade, narra-me tudo isto exatamente como aconteceu. Conta-me, em cada lugar e em cada ocasião, que feitos realizaram aqueles grandes guerreiros de carro.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes faithful transmission of history (itihāsa): the listener requests an exact account ‘as it happened’ (yathāvṛttam), highlighting the ethical value of truthful narration and careful remembrance of deeds.
King Janamejaya asks the ascetic sage (addressed as tapodhana) to narrate in full the events and actions performed by the great heroes, specifying that the account should be detailed and accurate across different places and occasions.