Shloka 13
Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī
आरण्यकं च वेदेभ्य ओषधिभ्योडमृतं यथा । समुद्धृतमिदं ब्रह्मन् कथामृतमिदं तथा,ब्रह्म! जैसे दहीसे मक्खन, मलयपर्वतसे चन्दन, वेदोंसे आरण्यक और ओषधियोंसे अमृत निकाला गया है, उसी प्रकार आपने यह कथारूपी अमृत निकालकर रखा है
āraṇyakaṃ ca vedebhya oṣadhibhyo 'mṛtaṃ yathā | samuddhṛtam idaṃ brahman kathāmṛtam idaṃ tathā ||
Dijo Janamejaya: «Oh brahmán, así como los Āraṇyakas se extraen de los Vedas y el néctar se obtiene de las hierbas medicinales, del mismo modo has sacado y puesto ante nosotros este néctar de relato sagrado. Al destilar su esencia, haces accesible el dharma profundo y lo vuelves guía para la vida.»
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the highest ethical and spiritual guidance (dharma) can be distilled into narrative: a well-told, well-chosen story becomes “nectar,” extracting the essence of vast scriptures and making it usable for listeners.
King Janamejaya addresses the learned Brahmin narrator with reverence, praising him for extracting and presenting the essence of wisdom—comparing the narration to drawing Āraṇyaka teachings from the Vedas and nectar from medicinal herbs.