Shloka 2
Subhadrā-vivāha-saṃsthāpana, Vṛṣṇi–Kuru satkāra, and Abhimanyu-janma
Chapter 213
वेदवेदाड्भविद्वांसस्तथैवा ध्यात्मचिन्तका: । भैक्षाश्न भगवदभक्ता: सूता: पौराणिकाश्न ये,वेद-वेदांगोंके विद्वान, अध्यात्मचिन्तन करनेवाले, भिक्षाजीवी ब्रह्मचारी, भगवद्भक्त, पुराणोंके ज्ञाता सूत, अन्य कथावाचक, संन्यासी, वानप्रस्थ तथा जो ब्राह्मण मधुर स्वरसे दिव्य कथाओंका पाठ करते हैं, वे सब अर्जुनके साथ गये
Veda-vedāṅga-vidvāṁsas tathaivādhyātma-cintakāḥ | bhaikṣāśnā bhagavad-bhaktāḥ sūtāḥ paurāṇikāś ca ye ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Los versados en los Vedas y en sus ciencias auxiliares (vedāṅga), los entregados a la contemplación del Sí mismo, los estudiantes mendicantes que viven de limosnas, los devotos del Señor, y los Sūtas—conocedores y recitadores de los Purāṇas—junto con otros narradores de la tradición sagrada: todos ellos marcharon con Arjuna.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical ideal of dharma upheld through multiple life-paths—Vedic scholarship, inner contemplation, disciplined mendicancy, and devotion—showing that spiritual authority and guidance come from learning, self-restraint, and bhakti rather than mere status.
Vaiśampāyana describes the entourage that accompanies Arjuna: Vedic experts, contemplatives, alms-living students/ascetics, devotees, and professional Purāṇa reciters (Sūtas and other storytellers), indicating that Arjuna’s journey is supported by a broad religious and cultural community.