Shloka 21
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
अनुभूतं च दृष्टं च यन्मयाद्भुतमुत्तमम् | उज्छवृत्तेवदान्यस्य कुरुक्षेत्रनिवासिन:,“कुरक्षेत्रनिवासी उज्छवृत्तिधारी दानी ब्राह्मणके सम्बन्धमें मैंने जो कुछ देखा और अनुभव किया है, वह बड़ा ही उत्तम एवं अदभुत है”
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | anubhūtaṃ ca dṛṣṭaṃ ca yan mayādbhutam uttamam | ucchavṛttivedānyasya kurukṣetranivāsinaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Apa yang aku alami sendiri dan apa yang aku saksikan—suatu kisah yang luhur dan sungguh menakjubkan—berkaitan dengan seorang brāhmaṇa yang pemurah, yang hidup dengan uccavṛtti, dan menetap di Kurukṣetra.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical exemplar: true excellence can appear in a life of strict simplicity (ucchavṛtti) joined with generosity (dāna). Moral worth is measured not by abundance but by disciplined livelihood and the will to give.
Vaiśaṃpāyana introduces a remarkable episode he both witnessed and experienced, centered on a generous brāhmaṇa living at Kurukṣetra with an austere means of subsistence, preparing the listener for an instructive account of dharma in practice.