Shloka 9

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच अतिच्छन्दातिवादाभ्यां स्मयो5यं समुपागत: । असत्यं वेदवचनं कस्माद्‌ वेदोडनृतं वदेत्‌,व्यासजीने कहा--ब्रह्मन! अतिथिको अत्यन्त गौरव प्रदान करते हुए उसकी इच्छाके अनुसार सत्कार करना “अतिच्छन्द' कहलाता है और वाणीद्वारा अतिथिके गौरवका जो प्रकाशन किया जाता है, उसे “अतिवाद' कहते हैं। मुझे यहाँ अतिच्छन्‍्द और अतिवाद दोनों प्राप्त हुए हैं, इसीलिये मेरा यह विस्मय एवं हर्षोल्लास प्रकट हुआ है। (दान और आतिथ्य आदिका महत्त्व वेदोंके द्वारा प्रतिपादित हुआ है।) वेदोंका वचन कभी मिथ्या नहीं हो सकता। भला, वेद क्‍यों असत्य कहेगा?

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | aticchandātivādābhyāṃ smayo 'yaṃ samupāgataḥ | asatyaṃ vedavacanaṃ kasmād vedaḥ anṛtaṃ vadet ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: “Through both extraordinary honoring (aticchanda) and lavish words of praise (ativāda), this feeling of delighted wonder has come upon me. The utterance of the Veda cannot be false—why would the Veda ever speak untruth?”

Word by Word

व्यासःVyasa

उवाचsaid

अतिच्छन्दातिवादाभ्याम्by (the two) excessive honoring and excessive praise

स्मयःwonder/joy

अयम्this

समुपागतःhas arisen/has come (to me)

असत्यम्false/untrue

वेदवचनम्the Veda's statement

कस्मात्from what cause?/why?

वेदःthe Veda

अनृतम्untruth/falsehood

वदेत्would say/should say

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Veda

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms the ethical and doctrinal principle that Vedic testimony is intrinsically truthful; therefore, practices praised by the Veda—such as generosity and hospitality—are to be regarded as reliable guides to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa explains his visible joy and astonishment as arising from being honored in two ways: by exceptional hospitality (aticchanda) and by exalted verbal praise (ativāda). He then underscores that the Veda’s words cannot be untrue, reinforcing the legitimacy of the values being discussed.