Shloka 3

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त: स द्विजश्रेष्ठो व्यासशिष्य: प्रतापवान्‌ | प्रोवाच वदतां श्रेष्ठस्तं नृूपं जनमेजयम्‌,उनके ऐसा कहनेपर वक्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ प्रतापी व्यासशिष्य विप्रवर वैशम्पायनने उन राजा जनमेजयसे कहा

Transliteration

ity uktaḥ sa dvijaśreṣṭho vyāsaśiṣyaḥ pratāpavān | provāca vadatāṃ śreṣṭhas taṃ nṛpaṃ janamejayam ||

Translation

అలా అనబడినపుడు, వక్తలలో శ్రేష్ఠుడు, ప్రతాపవంతుడైన వ్యాసశిష్యుడు ద్విజశ్రేష్ఠుడు వైశంపాయనుడు రాజు జనమేజయునితో ఇలా పలికెను.

Word by Word

इतिthus

उक्तःhaving been spoken to / addressed

सःhe

द्विजश्रेष्ठःthe best of the twice-born (brahmins)

व्यासशिष्यःVyasa's disciple

प्रतापवान्mighty, valorous

प्रोवाचsaid, spoke

वदताम्of speakers / of those who speak

श्रेष्ठःbest

तम्to him / that (person)

नृपम्the king

जनमेजयम्Janamejaya

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vyāsa

Janamejaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic model of learning: a worthy questioner (the king) approaches with receptivity, and an authorized narrator (the sage in a guru-lineage) responds with measured, truthful speech—showing that moral knowledge is preserved through disciplined transmission.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the king’s preceding words, the narrator shifts to Vaishampayana’s response: he, renowned as Vyasa’s disciple and an excellent speaker, begins addressing King Janamejaya, signaling the continuation of the account.