Shloka 116
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्त्वा नकुल: सर्वान् यज्ञे द्विजवरांस्तदा,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! यज्ञस्थलमें उन समस्त श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंसे ऐसा कहकर वह नेवला वहाँसे गायब हो गया और वे ब्राह्मण भी अपने-अपने घर चले गये
vaiśampāyana uvāca—ity uktvā nakulaḥ sarvān yajñe dvijavarān tadā
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, Nakula then addressed all the foremost Brāhmaṇas present at the sacrifice. (In the narrative context of this episode, after the admonition is delivered, the wondrous creature disappears from the sacrificial ground, and the Brāhmaṇas disperse to their respective homes—underscoring that ritual grandeur is ethically hollow without genuine dharma and compassion.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage functions as a narrative hinge: it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical claim that ritual performance (yajña) gains true worth only when grounded in dharma—right intention, humility, and compassion—rather than mere scale, prestige, or external correctness.
Vaiśampāyana reports that, after speaking, Nakula addresses the assembled eminent Brāhmaṇas at the sacrifice. In the surrounding episode’s flow, the extraordinary creature that had appeared at the yajña vanishes, and the Brāhmaṇas depart to their homes, marking the close of the incident and its moral reflection.