Shloka 54
Sarasvatī–Tārkṣya Saṃvāda: Agnihotra-vidhi, Dāna-phala, and Mokṣa-prasaṅga (सरस्वती–तार्क्ष्यसंवादः)
भवान् दैवतदैत्यानामृषीणां च महात्मनाम् | राजर्षीणां च सर्वेषां चरितज्ञ: पुरातन:,“महामुने! आप देवताओं, दैत्यों, ऋषियों, महात्माओं तथा समस्त राजर्षियोंके चरित्रोंको जाननेवाले प्राचीन महर्षि हैं
bhavān daivatadaityānām ṛṣīṇāṁ ca mahātmanām | rājarṣīṇāṁ ca sarveṣāṁ caritajñaḥ purātanaḥ ||
“O great sage, you are an ancient seer, knower of the deeds and life-stories of the gods and the Dānavas, of the ṛṣis and great-souled ones, and indeed of all the royal sages.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse establishes the authority of a venerable sage as a reliable guide: one who knows the exemplary histories of gods, sages, and royal sages can illuminate dharma by precedent—showing how the great acted in complex situations.
Vaiśampāyana, in narration, praises and identifies the addressee as an ancient expert in sacred and royal histories—preparing the ground for seeking counsel or hearing an instructive account grounded in well-known exemplars.