Shloka 19
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
तदेकस्मिन्नधिष्ठाने संवाद: श्रूयतामयम् | छत्रादिषु विमुक्तस्य मुक्तायाश्च त्रिदण्डके,फिर छत्र आदि राजचिह्नोंसे रहित हुए राजा जनक और त्रिदण्डरूप संन्यास-चिह्से मुक्त हुई सुलभाका एक ही शरीरमें रहकर जो संवाद हुआ था, उसे सुनो
tad ekasminn adhiṣṭhāne saṃvādaḥ śrūyatām ayam | chatrādiṣu vimuktasya muktāyāś ca tridaṇḍake ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Pakinggan ngayon ang pag-uusap na naganap habang kapwa sila nanatili sa iisang tahanan—sa pagitan ni Haring Janaka, na isinantabi ang mga sagisag ng pagkahari gaya ng payong-parangal, at ni Sulabhā, na malaya maging sa tanda ng pagtalikod na tatlong tungkod (tridaṇḍa).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a teaching on renunciation: Janaka has abandoned the outward signs of kingship, and Sulabhā is free even from the outward sign of asceticism (the triple staff). The implied ethical point is that liberation is not guaranteed by social role or external emblems; it is grounded in inner detachment and realized freedom.
Bhīṣma introduces a forthcoming discourse. He asks the listener to hear a dialogue that occurred in a single setting between Janaka and Sulabhā—highlighting their contrasting external statuses (kingly vs. ascetic) while emphasizing their shared focus on freedom from attachment.