Shloka 14
Gaṅgā-Tīrtha Darśana and the Prelude to the Yavakrīta–Indra Exemplum (लोमश-युधिष्ठिर संवादः)
बन्द्ुवाच सप्त ग्राम्या: पशव: सप्त वन्या: सप्तच्छन्दांसि क्रतुमेक॑ वहन्ति । सप्तर्षय: सप्त चाप्यर्हणानि सप्ततन्त्री प्रथिता चैव वीणा,बन्दीने कहा-ग्राम्य पशु सात हैं (जिनके नाम इस प्रकार हैं)--गाय, भैंस, बकरी, भेंड़, घोड़ा, कुत्ता और गदहा। जंगली पशु भी सात हैं (यथा--सिंह, बाघ, भेड़िया, हाथी, वानर, भालू और मृग)। गायत्री, उष्णिक्, अनुष्टप, बृहती, पंक्ति, त्रिष्टप् और जगती--ये सात ही छन््द एक-एक यज्ञका निर्वाह करते हैं। सप्तर्षि नामसे प्रसिद्ध ऋषियोंकीः संख्या भी सात ही है (यथा--मरीचि, अत्रि, पुलह, पुलस्त्य, क्रतु, अंगिरा और वसिष्ठ), पूजनके संक्षिप्त उपचार भी सात हैं (यथा--गन्ध, पुष्प, धूप, दीप, नैवेद्य, आचमन और ताम्बूल) तथा वीणाके भी सात ही तार विख्यात हैं
Aṣṭāvakra uvāca: sapta grāmyāḥ paśavaḥ, sapta vanyāḥ; sapta chandāṁsi kratūn ekaikaṁ vahanti. saptarṣayaḥ, sapta cāpy arhaṇāni; saptatantrī prathitā caiva vīṇā.
Aṣṭāvakra said: “There are seven domestic animals and seven wild ones. The sacred metres are seven, and each sustains a sacrificial rite in its own way. The sages famed as the Seven Ṛṣis are seven, and the principal offerings of worship are also seven. Even the vīṇā is renowned as having seven strings.” By pointing to this recurring pattern of ‘seven’ across nature, ritual, and art, Aṣṭāvakra draws the listener toward an ordered vision of the world—where discipline, right observance, and inner harmony mirror a cosmic structure rather than mere convention.
अष्टावक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Aṣṭāvakra highlights a repeated ‘sevenfold’ structure spanning animals, Vedic metres, sacrifice, sages, worship, and music, suggesting that dharmic life aligns with an intelligible order—where ritual, knowledge, and culture reflect a coherent cosmic pattern.
In Aṣṭāvakra’s discourse, he enumerates sets of seven (domestic and wild animals, metres that support rites, the Seven Sages, seven modes of honouring, and the seven-stringed vīṇā) as part of an instructive exposition meant to orient the listener toward traditional categories and their underlying unity.