Shloka 26
राजपूजाविधानम् / Royal Reception Protocols during Āśvamedha Preparations
नाषडडज्विदत्रासीत् सदस्यस्तस्य धीमत: । नाव्रतो नानुपाध्यायो न च वादाविचक्षण:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nāṣaḍaṅgavid atrāsīt sadasyas tasya dhīmataḥ |
nāvrato nānupādhyāyo na ca vādāvicakṣaṇaḥ ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—সেই প্রজ্ঞাবান রাজার যজ্ঞসভায় এমন কোনো সদস্য ছিল না যে বেদের ছয় অঙ্গ জানত না; কেউ ব্রতহীন ছিল না, কেউ অধ্যাপনে অদক্ষ ছিল না, আর কেউ বিতর্কে অপ্রবীণ ছিল না।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual and public religious acts should be supported by integrity and competence: learning (mastery of Vedāṅgas), self-restraint (vrata), the ability to teach, and clarity in debate. Dharma is presented as a union of knowledge and conduct, not mere ceremony.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha-related proceedings, the narrator emphasizes the exceptional quality of the sacrificial assembly: every participant is portrayed as fully qualified—learned in Vedic auxiliaries, disciplined in vows, capable as an instructor, and adept in disputation.