Shloka 17
Sabhā-praveśa, Dāna, and the Courtly Convergence (सभा-प्रवेशः दानं च)
काक्षीवानौशिजश्चनैव नाचिकेतो5थ गौतम: । पैड़यो वराह: शुनक: शाण्डिल्यश्व महातपा:
kākṣīvān auśijaś caiva nāciketo 'tha gautamaḥ | paiḍyo varāhaḥ śunakaḥ śāṇḍilyaś ca mahātapāḥ ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— അവിടെ കാക്ഷീവാൻ, ഔശിജൻ, നാചികേതൻ, ഗൗതമൻ; അതുപോലെ പൈഡ്യൻ, വരാഹൻ, ശുനകൻ, മഹാതപസ്വിയായ ശാണ്ഡില്യനും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the authority of dharma and tradition by invoking a lineage of revered sages and great ascetics (mahātapāḥ), implying that ethical and social order is grounded in the remembered exemplars of tapas, learning, and right conduct.
Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a catalog-like enumeration of eminent seers and ascetics, naming several respected figures to situate the discussion within a recognized sacred and ethical tradition.