Shloka 5
Vidura’s Message to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Authorization for Dāna and Public Welfare (विदुरवाक्यम्—दानानुज्ञा)
तात! वहाँ उन महर्षियोंने महात्मा राजा धृतराष्ट्रका मन लगानेके लिये अनेक प्रकारकी धार्मिक कथाएँ कहीं ।। कथान्तरे तु कम्मिंश्चिद् देवर्षिनरिदस्तत: । कथामिमामकथयत् सर्वप्रत्यक्षदर्शिवान्,सब कुछ प्रत्यक्ष देखनेवाले देवर्षि नारदने किसी कथाके प्रसंगमें यह कथा कहनी आरम्भ की
tāta! tatra te mahārṣayaḥ mahātmanaḥ rājñaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya manaḥ samādhātum anekavidhāḥ dhārmikāḥ kathāḥ kathayām āsuḥ. kathāntare tu kammiṃścid devarṣir nāradaḥ tataḥ kathām imām akathayat sarvapratyakṣadarśivān.
“Meu caro! Ali, aqueles grandes videntes narraram muitas espécies de histórias justas e elevadoras, para firmar e consolar a mente do nobre rei Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Então, no curso de outro relato, o sábio divino Nārada—aquele de quem se diz ver todas as coisas diretamente—começou a contar esta história.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic method of healing and guidance: the mind burdened by grief and consequence is steadied through righteous narratives and the counsel of realized sages, suggesting that ethical reflection and sacred storytelling can restore inner balance.
Vaiśampāyana reports that the assembled seers tell Dhṛtarāṣṭra various dharma-centered stories to console him; then, as the narration shifts, the divine sage Nārada—described as all-seeing—begins to recount a particular story.