Sāvitrī’s Report and Nārada’s Prognosis (सावित्र्याख्यान—सत्यवान्-गुणवर्णनं तथा अल्पायुषः पूर्वसूचना)
स तद् राजा वच: श्रुत्वा विप्रियं दारुणोदयम् । दुःखारतोीं भरतश्रेष्ठ न किंचिद् व्याजहार ह
sa tad rājā vacaḥ śrutvā vipriyaṃ dāruṇodayam | duḥkhārto hi bharataśreṣṭha na kiñcid vyājahāra ha ||
Mārkaṇḍeya nói: Nghe những lời ấy—đắng cay và báo trước hậu quả ghê gớm—vua Daśaratha bị nỗi sầu khổ nhấn chìm. Hỡi bậc ưu tú trong dòng Bharata, nhà vua không thốt nổi một lời nào.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
The verse highlights the moral weight of speech and promises in royal life: when a demand carries disastrous consequences, the righteous mind may be struck silent by grief, revealing the tension between personal affection, duty, and the irreversible force of pledged words.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates that King Daśaratha hears Kaikeyī’s harsh, ominous words (connected with a dreadful outcome). Overcome by sorrow, he is unable to respond and remains silent.