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 berkata: “Wahai Brahmana, sebagaimana Āraṇyaka disarikan dari Veda dan amerta diekstrak dari tumbuh-tumbuhan obat, demikian pula engkau telah mengangkat dan menyajikan nektar kisah suci ini.”
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.