Shloka 9
अध्याय ३५१ — उञ्छवृत्ति-व्रतसिद्धेः मानुषस्य परमगतिः
Sūrya–Nāga Dialogue on the Perfected Gleaner-Ascetic
वैशम्पायन उवाच वेदार्थान् वेत्तुकामस्य धर्मिष्ठस्य तपोनिधे: । गुरोमें ज्ञाननिष्ठस्य हिमवत्पाद आसत:,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--राजन्! मेरे धर्मिष्ठ गुरु वेदव्यास तपस्याकी निधि और ज्ञाननिष्ठ हैं। पहले वे वेदोंके अर्थका वास्तविक ज्ञान प्राप्त करनेकी इच्छासे हिमालयके एक शिखरपर रहते थे। ये महाभारत नामक इतिहासकी रचना करके तपस्या करते-करते थक गये थे। उन दिनों इन बुद्धिमान् गुरुकी सेवामें तत्पर हम पाँच शिष्य उनके साथ रहते थे। सुमन्तु, जैमिनि, दृढ़तापूर्वक उत्तम धर्मका पालन करनेवाले पैल, चौथा मैं और पाँचवें व्यासपुत्र शुकदेव थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vedārthān vettukāmasya dharmiṣṭhasya taponidheḥ | guro me jñānaniṣṭhasya himavatpāda āsataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, my guru—most righteous, a treasury of austerity, and steadfast in knowledge—once dwelt at the foot of the Himālaya, desiring to know the true purport of the Vedas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the ideal of a teacher who unites dharma (righteous conduct), tapas (disciplined austerity), and jñāna (steadfast pursuit of truth). It frames Vedic study not as mere recitation but as a quest for the Vedas’ real purport, pursued through ethical life and inner discipline.
Vaiśampāyana begins a recollection about his guru, describing how the teacher lived at the foot of the Himālaya with the intention of understanding the meanings of the Vedas—setting the scene for a tradition of instruction rooted in ascetic study.