Shloka 18
Mātali’s Arrival and Arjuna’s Ascent toward Amarāvatī (मातलिसंयुक्तरथागमनम् तथा इन्द्रलोकगमनारम्भः)
विश्वावसुप्र भृतिभिरर्गन्धर्वे: स्तुतिवन्दनै: । स्तूयमान द्विजाग्रयैश्न ऋग्यजु:सामसम्भवै:,विश्वावसु आदि गन्धर्व स्तुति और वन्दनापूर्वक उनके गुण गाते थे। श्रेष्ठ ब्रह्मर्षिगण ऋग्वेद, यजुर्वेद और सामवेदके इन्द्रदेवतासम्बन्धी मन्त्रोंद्रारा उनका स्तवन कर रहे थे
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | Viśvāvasu-prabhṛtibhir gandharvaiḥ stuti-vandanaiḥ | stūyamānaḥ dvijāgraiś ca ṛg-yajuḥ-sāma-sambhavaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: He was being praised by Gandharvas—led by Viśvāvasu—through hymns of eulogy and reverent salutations. At the same time, foremost among the twice-born sages extolled him with Vedic chants drawn from the Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāman traditions.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that true eminence is acknowledged through disciplined, sacred forms of speech—praise offered with reverence (vandana) and grounded in Vedic authority. It implies an ethical ideal: honor should be expressed in regulated, tradition-sanctioned ways rather than through flattery or coercion.
A revered figure is being publicly celebrated: Gandharvas led by Viśvāvasu sing praises and offer salutations, while leading Brahmin sages simultaneously extol him using chants derived from the three Vedas (Ṛg, Yajus, Sāman), creating a ceremonial atmosphere of exaltation.