Shloka 26
राजपूजाविधानम् / Royal Reception Protocols during Āśvamedha Preparations
नाषडडज्विदत्रासीत् सदस्यस्तस्य धीमत: । नाव्रतो नानुपाध्यायो न च वादाविचक्षण:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nāṣaḍaṅgavid atrāsīt sadasyas tasya dhīmataḥ |
nāvrato nānupādhyāyo na ca vādāvicakṣaṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Dans l’assemblée sacrificielle de ce roi sage, il n’y avait pas un seul membre qui ne maîtrisât les six auxiliaires du Veda ; nul n’était sans vœux ni discipline ; nul n’était maladroit dans l’enseignement ; nul n’était faible dans la controverse. Ainsi le rite de Yudhiṣṭhira fut soutenu par des officiants savants, maîtres d’eux-mêmes et compétents — idéal éthique d’un rituel fondé sur la connaissance et la conduite.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual and public religious acts should be supported by integrity and competence: learning (mastery of Vedāṅgas), self-restraint (vrata), the ability to teach, and clarity in debate. Dharma is presented as a union of knowledge and conduct, not mere ceremony.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha-related proceedings, the narrator emphasizes the exceptional quality of the sacrificial assembly: every participant is portrayed as fully qualified—learned in Vedic auxiliaries, disciplined in vows, capable as an instructor, and adept in disputation.