Shloka 41
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
धृतराष्ट उवाच आख्यानपज्चमैवेंदिर्भूयिष्ठं कथ्यते जन: । तथा चान्ये चतुर्वेदास्त्रिवेदाश्व॒ तथा परे
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—ākhyāna-pañcamaiḥ eva indaiḥ bhūyiṣṭhaṃ kathyate janaḥ | tathā ca anye caturvedāḥ trivedāś ca tathā pare ||
قال دْهْرِتَراشْتْرَة: «أيها الحكيم، يُشاع بين الناس على وجهٍ خاص أن بعضهم يُدعون “عارفي الخمسة”؛ وهم الذين يُعَدّ عندهم الإيتيهاسا–البورانا (Itihāsa–Purāṇa) خامسًا إلى جانب الفيدات. وكذلك يُقال عن آخرين إنهم عارفون بأربع فيدات، وعن آخرين أيضًا إنهم عارفون بثلاث.»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how scriptural learning was socially recognized in graded forms (three-, four-, and ‘five’-Veda learning), and it implicitly affirms the cultural authority of Itihāsa–Purāṇa as a major vehicle for transmitting dharma and sacred knowledge alongside the Vedas.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions the sage about a common designation among people: some are called ‘pañcavedī’ because Itihāsa–Purāṇa is treated as a fifth category of sacred learning, while others are known as ‘caturvedī’ or ‘trivedī’ depending on the extent of their Vedic mastery.