Shloka 70
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
इत्युक्तास्ते न्यवर्तन्त शोकार्ता: पुत्रवत्सला: | अड्के शिर: समाधाय रुरुदुर्बहुविस्तरम् । तेषां रुदितशब्देन गृश्रो5भ्येत्य वचो5ब्रवीत्
jambuka uvāca |
ity uktās te nyavartanta śokārtāḥ putravatsalāḥ |
aṅke śiraḥ samādhāya rurudur bahuvistaram |
teṣāṁ ruditśabdena gṛdhro 'bhyetya vaco 'bravīt |
既被如此告知，那些亲族——哀痛欲绝，且对孩子满怀怜爱——便折返而来。他们把男童的头枕在膝上，放声恸哭，久久不止。听见这哭声，一只兀鹫飞近前来，如此说道。
जम्बुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of familial compassion and the natural human response to loss. It sets the stage for a moral discourse (introduced by the vulture) by showing how attachment and grief arise, inviting reflection on dharma, impermanence, and right understanding in the face of death.
After being spoken to, the child’s relatives—grief-stricken and affectionate—return, cradle the boy’s head in their laps, and weep loudly for a long time. Their crying draws a vulture, which approaches and begins to speak, signaling an impending dialogue or admonition.