Mahabharata 3.201.1 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 1
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
#:73:.8 #:23:.7 () हि 2 7 द्विशततमो<्ध्याय: निन्दित दान
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: śrutvā sa rājā rājarṣer indradyumnasya tat tadā | mārkaṇḍeyān mahābhāgāt svargasya pratipādanam ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்—அப்போது அந்த அரசன், பெரும் பாக்கியமுடைய மார்க்கண்டேயரிடமிருந்து ராஜரிஷி இந்திரத்யும்னனின் சுவர்க்கப் பெறுதலின் வரலாற்றைக் கேட்டு, அதன் பொருளை மனத்தில் சிந்தித்தான்।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-instructional episode: the listener-king receives Mārkaṇḍeya’s authoritative exposition about Indradyumna and the attainment of svarga, implying that righteous conduct and properly understood merit-bearing acts lead to elevated spiritual outcomes.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a king has just heard from the sage Mārkaṇḍeya an account concerning the royal sage Indradyumna and the matter of heaven; this serves as a transition into (or continuation of) a broader ethical discourse.
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