Shloka 2
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 178 — Royal Contestants Assemble; Cosmic Witnesses; The Bow Remains Unstrung
जातकर्मादिकास्तस्य क्रिया: स मुनिसत्तम: । पौत्रस्य भरतश्रेष्ठ चकार भगवान् स्वयम्,भरतश्रेष्ठ! मुनिवर भगवान् वसिष्ठने स्वयं अपने पौत्रके जातकर्म आदि संस्कार किये
jātakarmādikās tasya kriyāḥ sa munisattamaḥ | pautrasya bharataśreṣṭha cakāra bhagavān svayam ||
O best of the Bharatas, that most excellent sage himself—revered and venerable—performed for his grandson all the prescribed rites, beginning with the birth-ceremony (jātakarma). The passage underscores the ethical ideal that even the highest spiritual authorities uphold dharma by personally ensuring the proper saṃskāras that establish a child’s lawful place in family and society.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is upheld through proper saṃskāras: even a supreme sage personally performs the child’s rites, showing that spiritual greatness includes faithful observance of social and familial duties.
A Gandharva narrates that the foremost sage (understood as Vasiṣṭha in this context) conducted the grandson’s ceremonial rites starting from jātakarma, emphasizing the legitimacy and careful nurturing of the child within the lineage.