Shloka 20
Tapovana-praveśaḥ — The King’s Entry into the Sacred Grove and Vision of the Āśrama
नच विक्रीणते ब्रह्म ब्राह्मणाश्न॒ तदा नूप । न च शूद्रसमभ्याशे वेदानुच्चारयन्त्युत,राजन्! उस समय ब्राह्मण न तो वेदका विक्रय करते और न शूद्रोंके निकट वेदमन्त्रोंका उच्चारण ही करते थे
na ca vikrīṇate brahma brāhmaṇāśn̥ tada nūpa | na ca śūdrasamabhyāśe vedān uccārayanty uta, rājan |
Vaiśampāyana said: “And in those days, O king, the Brāhmaṇas did not sell sacred knowledge (the Veda), nor did they recite Vedic mantras in the proximity of Śūdras. Thus the sanctity of learning and the boundaries of ritual transmission were maintained according to the dharma of that age.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical-ritual ideal of an earlier age: sacred knowledge (the Veda) is not treated as a commodity for sale, and its recitation is governed by strict rules of eligibility and context. It highlights the perceived sanctity of learning and the maintenance of traditional boundaries in Vedic transmission.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the conduct and customs of people in a past period, emphasizing that Brāhmaṇas neither sold Vedic knowledge nor recited Vedic mantras near Śūdras. The statement functions as a characterization of that time’s dharma and social-religious discipline.