Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 44 — Arjuna’s Entry into Nandana and Audience with Indra
वादित्रं देवविहितं नूलोके यन्न विद्यते । तदर्जयस्व कौन्तेय श्रेयो वै ते भविष्यति,'कुन्तीनन्दन! मनुष्यलोकमें जो अबतक प्रचलित नहीं है, देवताओंकी उस वाद्यकलाका ज्ञान प्राप्त कर लो। इससे तुम्हारा भला होगा'
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vāditraṃ devavihitaṃ nṛloke yan na vidyate | tad arjayāsva kaunteya śreyo vai te bhaviṣyati |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O son of Kuntī, acquire that divine art of instrumental music which is ordained by the gods and is not yet known among men. By mastering it, your welfare and higher good will surely be secured.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse commends disciplined learning of a higher, divinely sanctioned skill not for vanity but for śreyas—true welfare. It frames knowledge (even artistic knowledge) as ethically meaningful when pursued for upliftment and long-term good.
Vaiśampāyana reports an instruction addressed to Kaunteya (Arjuna): he is urged to obtain a divine form of instrumental art unknown in the human realm, with the assurance that such attainment will bring him benefit and auspicious outcomes.