Mahabharata 3.181.3 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 181, Shloka 3
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
स धर्मराजमालक्ष्य भ्राता भ्रातरमग्रजम् । कथयामास तत् सर्व ग्रहणादि विचेष्टितम्
sa dharmarājam ālakṣya bhrātā bhrātaram agrajam | kathayāmāsa tat sarvaṁ grahaṇādi viceṣṭitam ||
ครั้นเห็นธรรมราชยุธิษฐิระ ภีมะผู้น้องจึงเข้าไปหาเชษฐา แล้วเล่าความทั้งปวงตั้งแต่ถูกจับกุมเป็นต้นมา พร้อมทั้งความพยายามทุกประการของตน
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a moment of danger, dharma expresses itself through clarity and accountability: the younger brother reports the facts to the elder (the dharma-king), enabling right action. The verse highlights truthful communication and fraternal responsibility as ethical necessities in crisis.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīma, upon seeing Yudhiṣṭhira present, tells him the entire sequence of events—starting from his being seized—while implicitly questioning how Yudhiṣṭhira has come into this predicament and identifying the formidable serpent involved.
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