Shloka 66
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
इत्यर्थ निर्मिता वेदा यज्ञाशक्षौषधिभि: सह
ityartha nirmitā vedā yajñaśakṣauṣadhibhiḥ saha
Vaiśampāyana said: “Thus, for this very purpose the Vedas were fashioned—together with sacrifice, with the capacity and means to perform it, and with medicinal herbs—so that human life may be sustained and guided by sacred order.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links revelation (the Vedas) with practical supports of life and dharma: sacrificial order (yajña), the human capacity/means to enact it (śakti), and healing resources (auṣadhi). Together they indicate that sacred knowledge is meant to sustain and regulate life ethically, not remain merely theoretical.
In the didactic flow of Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana continues an exposition explaining the intended function of Vedic tradition—presenting the Vedas as instituted along with ritual practice and life-sustaining remedies, emphasizing their role in maintaining social and cosmic well-being.