Shloka 21
Nahūṣa as Ajagara: Virtue Hierarchy, Karmic Gati, and the Psychology of Mind–Intellect
ततश्न यात्वा मरुधन्वपारश्व सदा भरनुर्वेदरतिप्रधाना: सरस्वतीमेत्य निवासकामा: सरस्ततो द्वैतवनं प्रतीयु:
tataś ca yātvā marudhanv-apārśvaṃ sadā bharanur-vedarati-pradhānāḥ | sarasvatīm etya nivāsakāmāḥ saras tato dvaitavanaṃ pratīyuḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then, having gone to the region adjoining Marudhanva, those foremost in delighting in the Veda and in the bearing of arms, desiring a place to dwell, reached the Sarasvatī; and from that lake they proceeded to the Dvaitavana forest.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic ideal of balance: even while armed and capable in martial discipline, the travelers are described as devoted to Vedic learning and seek a proper place of residence, suggesting that strength is to be guided by sacred knowledge and orderly conduct.
The group moves onward in the wilderness: they travel to the vicinity of Marudhanva, reach the sacred Sarasvatī, and then proceed from a lake there to the forest called Dvaitavana, looking for a suitable place to stay.