Shloka 16
कुरुवंशप्रश्नः—दुःषन्तस्य राजधर्मवर्णनम्
Kuru Lineage Inquiry and the Portrait of King Duḥṣanta’s Rule
इदं हि वेदैः समितं पवित्रमपि चोत्तमम् | भ्राव्याणामुत्तमं चेदं॑ पुराणमृषिसंस्तुतम्,यह ऋषियोंद्वारा प्रशंसित पुरातन इतिहास श्रवण करनेयोग्य सब ग्रन्थोंमें श्रेष्ठ है। यह वेदोंके समान ही पवित्र तथा उत्तम है
idam hi vedaiḥ samitaṃ pavitram api cottamam | śravyāṇām uttamaṃ cedaṃ purāṇam ṛṣisaṃstutam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Denn dieser Bericht steht im Einklang mit den Veden; er ist rein und zugleich erhaben. Unter allem, was zu hören sich ziemt, steht dieses Purāṇa—diese uralte heilige Geschichte—an erster Stelle, von den ṛṣi gepriesen und bekräftigt.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts the Mahābhārata’s (Itihāsa/Purāṇa) scriptural authority: it aligns with Vedic principles, is spiritually purifying, and is endorsed by the seers—therefore it is especially worthy of attentive listening and study as a guide to dharma.
Vaiśampāyana is characterizing the text being recited as an ancient, revered sacred history. He elevates it by stating its concord with the Vedas and its praise by ṛṣis, framing the listener’s approach: to hear it as a foremost, purifying teaching.