Shloka 7
मातङ्ग–शक्रसंवादः
Mataṅga–Śakra Dialogue on Tapas, Status, and Moral Qualities
स्थूलाक्ष: शबलाक्षश्न कण्वो मेधातिथि: कृश: । नारद: पर्वतश्चैव सुधन्वाथैकतो द्विज:,उनके नाम ये हैं--अत्रि, वसिष्ठ, भृगु, पुलस्त्य, पुलह, क्रतु, अड्िरा, गौतम, अगस्त्य, संयतचित्त सुमति, विश्वामित्र, स्थूलशिरा, संवर्त, प्रमति, दम, बृहस्पति, शुक्राचार्य, व्यास, च्यवन, काश्यप, ध्रुव, दुर्वासा, जमदग्नि, मार्कण्डेय, गालव, भरद्वाज, रैभ्य, यवक्रीत, त्रित, स्थूलाक्ष, शबलाक्ष, कण्व, मेधातिथि, कृश, नारद, पर्वत, सुधन्वा, एकत, नितम्भू, भुवन, धौम्य, शतानन्द, अकृतव्रण, जमदग्निनन्दन परशुराम और कच
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
sthūlākṣaḥ śabalākṣaś ca kaṇvo medhātithiḥ kṛśaḥ |
nāradaḥ parvataś caiva sudhanvāthaikato dvijaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Among those sages were Sthūlākṣa, Śabalākṣa, Kaṇva, Medhātithi, and Kṛśa; and also Nārada and Parvata, together with Sudhanvā and the Brahmin Ekata.” Here the epic continues its reverent catalogue of eminent ṛṣis—figures of austerity, sacred learning, and the transmission of dharma—thereby affirming that moral authority in the Mahābhārata rests upon the witness and presence of realized seers.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
By naming revered ṛṣis, the text reinforces that dharma is preserved and authenticated through the lives and testimony of realized sages; ethical instruction (anuśāsana) is presented as rooted in an authoritative sacred lineage rather than mere opinion.
Vaiśampāyana continues a catalogue of eminent sages present/remembered in the context of instruction, listing Sthūlākṣa, Śabalākṣa, Kaṇva, Medhātithi, Kṛśa, Nārada, Parvata, Sudhanvā, and Ekata.