Shloka 26
राजपूजाविधानम् / Royal Reception Protocols during Āśvamedha Preparations
नाषडडज्विदत्रासीत् सदस्यस्तस्य धीमत: । नाव्रतो नानुपाध्यायो न च वादाविचक्षण:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nāṣaḍaṅgavid atrāsīt sadasyas tasya dhīmataḥ |
nāvrato nānupādhyāyo na ca vādāvicakṣaṇaḥ ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ ധീമാനായ രാജാവിന്റെ യജ്ഞസഭയിൽ വേദത്തിന്റെ ഷഡംഗങ്ങളിൽ പാണ്ഡിത്യമില്ലാത്ത ഒരംഗവും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നില്ല; വ്രതശൂന്യനും ഇല്ല; അധ്യാപനത്തിൽ അകുശലനും ഇല്ല; വാദവിവാദത്തിൽ അപരിചിതനും ഇല്ല।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual and public religious acts should be supported by integrity and competence: learning (mastery of Vedāṅgas), self-restraint (vrata), the ability to teach, and clarity in debate. Dharma is presented as a union of knowledge and conduct, not mere ceremony.
During Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha-related proceedings, the narrator emphasizes the exceptional quality of the sacrificial assembly: every participant is portrayed as fully qualified—learned in Vedic auxiliaries, disciplined in vows, capable as an instructor, and adept in disputation.