Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
वैशम्पायन उवाच पुरा हिमवतः पृष्े दक्षो वै यज्ञमाहरत् । गड़ाद्वारे शुभे देशे ऋषिसिद्धनिषेविते
vaiśampāyana uvāca | purā himavataḥ pṛṣṭhe dakṣo vai yajñam āharat | gaṅgādvāre śubhe deśe ṛṣi-siddha-niṣevite ||
वैशंपायन म्हणाले—प्राचीन काळी हिमालयाच्या पाठीमागील प्रदेशात, गंगाद्वार या शुभ स्थानी—जिथे ऋषी व सिद्धजन वास करीत—प्रजापती दक्षाने यज्ञाचा आरंभ केला.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse frames yajña (ritual duty) within a sanctified setting, implying that actions—especially public, religious acts—carry ethical weight and consequences; sacred context heightens responsibility rather than replacing moral discernment.
Vaiśampāyana begins an episode by locating it in ancient time and sacred space: Dakṣa organizes a great sacrifice at Gaṅgādvāra near the Himālaya, a place associated with sages and siddhas, preparing the ground for the events connected with Dakṣa’s yajña.