Shloka 7
Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna Saṃvāda in Indraprastha: Consolation, Legitimation, and Leave for Dvārakā (आश्वमेधिकपर्व, अध्याय १५)
ऋषीणां देवतानां च वंशांस्तावाहतु: सदा । प्रीयमाणौ महात्मानौ पुराणावृषिसत्तमौ
ṛṣīṇāṃ devatānāṃ ca vaṃśāṃs tāv āhatuḥ sadā | prīyamāṇau mahātmānau purāṇāv ṛṣisattamau ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ces deux-là, sages antiques et magnanimes—les plus éminents parmi les ṛṣi—étaient toujours pleins d’affection l’un pour l’autre. Au fil de leurs entretiens, ils retraçaient sans cesse les lignées des dieux et des ṛṣi, et décrivaient aussi les récits étranges de la guerre et les épreuves qu’elle fait naître, plaçant côte à côte la mémoire, la tradition et le prix moral du conflit.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical function of sacred conversation: preserving lineage-traditions (vaṃśa) and remembering the human cost of war. Affectionate, truthful dialogue among the wise becomes a vehicle for transmitting dharma—both through ancestral memory and through sober reflection on conflict and suffering.
Vaiśampāyana describes two ancient, eminent sages who are close friends. They regularly converse about the genealogies of gods and sages, and they also recount remarkable war-episodes and the hardships connected with them.