Shloka 7
Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Saṃvāda in Indraprastha: Consolation, Legitimation, and Leave for Dvārakā (आश्वमेधिकपर्व, अध्याय १५)
ऋषीणां देवतानां च वंशांस्तावाहतु: सदा । प्रीयमाणौ महात्मानौ पुराणावृषिसत्तमौ
ṛṣīṇāṃ devatānāṃ ca vaṃśāṃs tāv āhatuḥ sadā | prīyamāṇau mahātmānau purāṇāv ṛṣisattamau ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Those two ancient, great-souled sages—foremost among seers—were ever affectionate toward one another. In their conversations they continually recounted the lineages of the gods and the ṛṣis, and also described the strange tales of war and the hardships that arise from it, setting memory, tradition, and the moral cost of conflict side by side.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical function of sacred conversation: preserving lineage-traditions (vaṃśa) and remembering the human cost of war. Affectionate, truthful dialogue among the wise becomes a vehicle for transmitting dharma—both through ancestral memory and through sober reflection on conflict and suffering.
Vaiśampāyana describes two ancient, eminent sages who are close friends. They regularly converse about the genealogies of gods and sages, and they also recount remarkable war-episodes and the hardships connected with them.