Shloka 7
Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)
परिपृष्टिका वैधसिका: प्रसंख्यानास्तथैव च । यतयो भिक्षवश्चात्र बभूवु: पर्यवस्थिता:,उन महात्माके यज्ञमें अग्निके समान तेजस्वी होता थे। जिनमें फल, मूलका आहार करनेवाले, अभ्मकुट्ट*, मरीचिपः, परिपृष्टिकः, वैधसिकर्“ं और प्रसंख्याने* आदि अनेक प्रकारके यति एवं भिक्षु उपस्थित थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
paripṛṣṭikā vaidhāsikāḥ prasaṅkhyānās tathaiva ca |
yatayo bhikṣavaś cātra babhūvuḥ paryavasthitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: There, many ascetics and mendicants were assembled and standing in attendance—those known as Paripṛṣṭikas, Vaidhāsikas, and Prasaṅkhyānas as well. The scene underscores the sacrificial setting as one sanctified not merely by ritual fire, but by the presence of disciplined renouncers whose lives embody restraint, simplicity, and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that a great rite is validated not only by external ritual performance but also by the presence of disciplined renouncers—yatis and bhikṣus—whose austerity, restraint, and truthfulness represent lived dharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes the sacrificial venue where numerous categories of ascetics and mendicants—named groups such as Paripṛṣṭikas, Vaidhāsikas, and Prasaṅkhyānas—have gathered and are standing in attendance, indicating the scale and sanctity of the occasion.