Shloka 26
राजपूजाविधानम् / Royal Reception Protocols during Āśvamedha Preparations
नाषडडज्विदत्रासीत् सदस्यस्तस्य धीमत: । नाव्रतो नानुपाध्यायो न च वादाविचक्षण:,बुद्धिमान् राजा युधिष्ठिरके यज्ञका कोई भी सदस्य ऐसा नहीं था जो छहों अंगोंका विद्वान, ब्रह्मचर्य-व्रतका पालन करनेवाला, अध्यापनकर्ममें कुशल तथा वाद-विवादमें प्रवीण न हो
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
nāṣaḍaṅgavid atrāsīt sadasyas tasya dhīmataḥ |
nāvrato nānupādhyāyo na ca vādāvicakṣaṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Dalam perhimpunan korban raja yang bijaksana itu, tidak seorang pun yang tidak menguasai enam cabang bantu Veda; tiada yang tanpa ikrar dan disiplin; tiada yang tidak mahir mengajar; dan tiada yang lemah dalam perbahasan. Maka upacara Yudhiṣṭhira ditegakkan oleh para pelaksana yang berilmu, berpengendalian diri, dan cekap—suatu cita etika bahawa ritual berakar pada pengetahuan dan kelakuan.
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.