Shloka 246
अश्रमवासिनां विषादः — Lament in Hastināpura after the Elders’ Forest Withdrawal
ब्रह्मकल्पैर्भवद्धिर्यत् समेतो5हं तपोधना: । “तपोधनो! आप ब्रह्मतुल्य महात्माओंका जो संग मुझे प्राप्त हुआ उससे मैं समझता हूँ कि यहाँ अपने लिये अभीष्ट गति मुझे प्राप्त हो गयी
brahmakalpair bhavadbhir yat sameto 'haṃ tapodhanāḥ | tapodhano! āp brahmatulya mahātmāoṃkā jo saṅga mujhe prāpta huā usse maiṃ samajhtā hūṃ ki yahāṃ apne liye abhīṣṭa gati mujhe prāpta ho gayī |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O ascetics rich in austerity! Since I have come into the company of you who are like Brahmā in stature, I take it that here and now I have attained the very goal I longed for. The fellowship of such Brahman-like great souls itself becomes a path and a destination—purifying, elevating, and confirming one’s highest good.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates satsanga—association with spiritually accomplished ascetics—as itself a means and marker of attaining one’s highest good (gati). Ethical and inner transformation is portrayed as arising from reverent proximity to the wise.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a group of ascetics, praising them as Brahman-like and declaring that meeting them fulfills his desired spiritual aim, emphasizing the sanctifying power of their company.