Shloka 11
Nārada’s Exempla of Tapas and Assurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (नारदोपदेशः—तपःसिद्ध्युदाहरणम्)
प्राधीतद्विजघोषैश्न क्वचित् क्वचिदलंकृतम् । फलमूलसमाहारैर्महद्धिश्वोपशोभितम्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: prādhītadvijaghoṣaiś ca kvacit kvacid alaṅkṛtam | phalamūlasamāhārair mahadbhir eva upaśobhitam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : En certains lieux, les établissements d’ermitage étaient ornés par la récitation grave et résonnante de l’étude védique, portée par des brāhmaṇas savants. Ils étaient encore embellis par de grands ascètes vivant de fruits et de racines recueillis ; ainsi, le son d’un savoir discipliné et la vision d’une vie maîtrisée, ensemble, rehaussaient la sainteté et l’éclat de ces āśramas.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed through disciplined learning (svādhyāya/Vedic recitation) and restrained living (subsisting on fruits and roots). Ethical excellence is shown not by display, but by self-control, simplicity, and the sustaining presence of sacred study.
The narrator describes the atmosphere of the hermitages: in different places one hears the grave sound of brāhmaṇas reciting their studies, and one sees great ascetics living on gathered fruits and roots. These features together make the āśramas appear especially beautiful and holy.