Shloka 3
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
वैशम्पायन उवाच पुरा हिमवतः पृष्े दक्षो वै यज्ञमाहरत् । गड़ाद्वारे शुभे देशे ऋषिसिद्धनिषेविते,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--प्राचीन कालकी बात है--हिमालयके पार्श्ववर्ती गंगाद्वार (हरिद्वार) के शुभ देशमें, जहाँ ऋषियों तथा सिद्ध पुरुषोंका निवास है, प्रजापति दक्षने अपने यज्ञका आयोजन किया था
vaiśampāyana uvāca | purā himavataḥ pṛṣṭhe dakṣo vai yajñam āharat | gaṅgādvāre śubhe deśe ṛṣi-siddha-niṣevite ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Long ago, on the slopes of the Himālaya, Prajāpati Dakṣa undertook a sacrificial rite. It was held at the auspicious region of Gaṅgādvāra, a place frequented by seers and perfected beings—setting a sacred stage where ritual duty and its moral consequences would unfold.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames yajña (ritual duty) within a sanctified setting, implying that actions—especially public, religious acts—carry ethical weight and consequences; sacred context heightens responsibility rather than replacing moral discernment.
Vaiśampāyana begins an episode by locating it in ancient time and sacred space: Dakṣa organizes a great sacrifice at Gaṅgādvāra near the Himālaya, a place associated with sages and siddhas, preparing the ground for the events connected with Dakṣa’s yajña.