Shloka 26
Kuberasaras-darśana (Bhīma beholds Kubera’s guarded lotus-lake) / कुबेरसरः-दर्शनम्
न हि धर्ममविज्ञाय वृद्धाननुपसेव्य च । धर्मार्थी वेदितुं शक्यौ बृहस्पतिसमैरपि,क्योंकि धर्मको जाने बिना और वृद्ध पुरुषोंकी सेवा किये बिना बृहस्पति-जैसे विद्वानोंके लिये भी धर्म और अर्थके तत्त्वको समझना सम्भव नहीं है
na hi dharmam avijñāya vṛddhān anupasevya ca | dharmārthī vedituṁ śakyau bṛhaspati-samair api ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Without first understanding dharma, and without serving and learning from the elders, it is not possible to truly grasp the principles of dharma and artha—even for scholars as wise as Bṛhaspati.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True understanding of dharma (and its practical companion, artha) requires both clear knowledge and the lived guidance gained through respectful service to elders; mere brilliance, even Bṛhaspati-like scholarship, is insufficient without humility and apprenticeship.
Vaiśaṃpāyana delivers a didactic statement emphasizing how dharma is learned: by first discerning it and by associating with and serving elders. The verse functions as moral instruction within the Vana Parva’s broader teaching-oriented discourse.