Shloka 5
Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)
पुरागस्त्यो महातेजा दीक्षां द्वादशवार्षिकीम् | प्रविवेश महाराज सर्वभूतहिते रत:,महाराज! पहलेकी बात है, सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके हितमें रत रहनेवाले महातेजस्वी अगस्त्य मुनिने एक समय बारह वर्षों समाप्त होनेवाले यज्ञकी दीक्षा ली
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
purāgastyō mahātejā dīkṣāṁ dvādaśavārṣikīm |
praviveśa mahārāja sarvabhūtahite rataḥ ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—पुरागस्त्यो महातेजाः सर्वभूतहिते रतः । महाराज! द्वादशवार्षिकीं दीक्षां यज्ञार्थं प्रविवेश ह ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Austerity and ritual discipline (dīkṣā) are presented as ethically meaningful when directed toward sarvabhūta-hita—the welfare of all beings—rather than personal gain.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana introduces an ancient episode: the sage Agastya undertakes the consecration for a twelve-year sacrificial observance, setting up a story grounded in long-term vow, restraint, and beneficent intent.