Shloka 13
Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī
आरण्यकं च वेदेभ्य ओषधिभ्योडमृतं यथा । समुद्धृतमिदं ब्रह्मन् कथामृतमिदं तथा
āraṇyakaṃ ca vedebhya oṣadhibhyo 'mṛtaṃ yathā | samuddhṛtam idaṃ brahman kathāmṛtam idaṃ tathā ||
Janamejaya dit : «Ô brahmane, de même que les Āraṇyakas sont tirés des Veda et que le nectar est extrait des herbes médicinales, ainsi as-tu fait surgir et déposé devant nous ce nectar de récit sacré. En en distillant l’essence, tu rends le dharma profond accessible et directeur de la vie.»
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.