Shloka 18
अन्तर्वन-विद्यारण्योपमा
The Allegory of the Inner Forest of Knowledge
तत्रैव प्रतितिष्ठन्ति पुनस्तत्रोपयन्ति च | सप्त सप्तर्षय: सिद्धा वसिष्ठप्रमुखै:ः सह,सात सिद्ध सप्तर्षि वसिष्ठ आदिके साथ उसी वनमें लीन होते और उसीसे उत्पन्न होते हैं
tatraiva pratitiṣṭhanti punas tatropayānti ca | sapta saptarṣayaḥ siddhā vasiṣṭha-pramukhaiḥ saha ||
There itself they abide; and again, to that very place they return. The seven perfected sages—the Saptarṣis—headed by Vasiṣṭha, are said to merge into that forest and to arise again from it, indicating a sacred locus where realized beings cyclically withdraw and re-emerge.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a sacred, cyclical vision of spiritual life: perfected sages withdraw into a holy locus and re-emerge from it, suggesting continuity of dharmic wisdom across cycles and the enduring presence of realized beings in sanctified places.
A brāhmaṇa speaker describes a particular forest or sacred region where the Saptarṣis—led by Vasiṣṭha—are believed to abide, depart, and return, portraying the place as a recurring abode and source for great sages.