Shloka 36

Adhyāya 33: Antarvedī-Samāgama, Arghya-Nirṇaya, and Śiśupāla’s Objection

Devanagari script

एतेषां पुत्रवर्गाश्न॒ शिष्पाश्न भरतर्षभ | बशभूवुहोत्रगा: सर्वे वेदवेदाड़पारगा:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! इनके पुत्र और शिष्यवर्गके लोग, जो सब-के-सब वेद-वेदांगोंके पारंगत विद्वान थे, 'होत्रग” (सप्तहोता) हुए

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

eteṣāṃ putravargāś ca śiṣyāś ca bharatarṣabha |

babhūvur hotragāḥ sarve vedavedāṅgapāragāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O bull among the Bharatas, the sons and the circle of disciples of those men—all of them thoroughly accomplished in the Vedas and the Vedāṅgas—came to serve as Hotṛ-priests (the sevenfold officiants) in the sacrificial rite.”

Word by Word

एतेषाम्of these

पुत्रवर्गाःgroups of sons

चand

शिष्याःdisciples

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

बभूवुःbecame / were

होत्रगाःperformers of hotṛ-duty; (i.e.,) saptahotṛs

सर्वेall

वेदवेदाङ्गपारगाःversed in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas; having gone to the far shore (i.e., masters)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bharata (dynasty, as vocative epithet)

Hotṛ (priestly role)

Veda

Vedāṅga

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic ideal that ritual authority rests on disciplined learning and proper transmission: sons and disciples trained in Veda and Vedāṅgas are fit to undertake priestly functions, showing continuity of sacred knowledge through lineage and education.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes how the descendants and students of the previously mentioned learned men took up the roles of Hotṛ-priests (often conceived as a set of seven officiants) for a sacrifice, emphasizing their mastery of Vedic and auxiliary sciences.