Shloka 89
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
वेदानध्यापयामास महाभारतपज्चमान् | सुमन्तुं जैमिनिं पैलं शुकं चैव स्वमात्मजम्
vedān adhyāpayāmāsa mahābhārata-pañcamān | sumantuṁ jaiminiṁ pailaṁ śukaṁ caiva svam ātmajam vaiśampāyanaṁ ca māṁ ca |
वेदानध्यापयामास महाभारतपञ्चमान्। सुमन्तुं जैमिनिं पैलं शुकं चैव स्वमात्मजम्॥ वैशम्पायनमेव च। ततोऽन्योन्यं पृथक् पृथक् संहिताः प्रचकाशिरे॥
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the sanctity and continuity of sacred knowledge: Vyāsa transmits both Vedic revelation and the Mahābhārata (as a dharma-bearing ‘fifth Veda’) through qualified disciples, showing that preserving and responsibly propagating tradition is itself a dharmic act.
Daśa reports how Vyāsa instructed multiple disciples—Sumantu, Jaimini, Paila, his son Śuka, and Vaiśampāyana—in the Vedas and the Mahābhārata, and how these disciples subsequently disseminated distinct versions/recensions of the Mahābhārata.