Shloka 33
Adhyāya 33: Antarvedī-Samāgama, Arghya-Nirṇaya, and Śiśupāla’s Objection
ततो द्वैपायनो राजन्नृत्विज: समुपानयत् । वेदानिव महाभागान् साक्षान्मूर्तिमतो द्विजान्,राजन! तदनन्तर द्वैपायन व्यासजी बहुत-से ऋत्विजोंको ले आये। वे महाभाग ब्राह्मण मानो साक्षात् मूर्तिमान् वेद ही थे इति श्रीमहाभारते सभापर्वणि राजसूयपर्वणि राजसूयदीक्षायां त्रयस्त्रिंशो 5 ध्याय: ।।
tato dvaipāyano rājann ṛtvijaḥ samupānayat | vedān iva mahābhāgān sākṣān mūrtimato dvijān ||
Alors, ô roi, Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) fit avancer les prêtres officiants : des brahmanes magnanimes qui semblaient être les Veda eux-mêmes, rendus visibles en une forme incarnée.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate kingship and grand rites depend on dharma upheld through Vedic procedure and qualified brahmin officiants; the priests are portrayed as the living embodiment of scriptural authority, ensuring the sacrifice is ethically and ritually sound.
As preparations for the Rājasūya consecration proceed, Vyāsa brings in many ṛtvijas (sacrificial priests). Their excellence is emphasized by comparing them to the Vedas made visible in human form.