Shloka 21
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
वर्तमाने<ब्रवीद् वाक््यं साम्नि ह्युच्चारिते मया । रथन्तरे द्विजश्रेष्ठ न सम्यगिति वर्तते
vartamāne 'bravīd vākyam sāmni hy uccārite mayā | rathantare dvijaśreṣṭha na samyag iti vartate ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Habang ako’y nasa gitna ng pag-awit ng Sāman, at nang ito’y mabigkas ko, sinabi niya ang mga salitang ito: ‘O pinakamainam sa mga dalawang-ulit na isinilang, sa awit na Rathantara ay hindi ito umaandar nang wasto.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and ritual importance of precision in sacred recitation: Vedic sound is treated as efficacious, so errors are to be noticed and corrected with discipline and humility.
During the chanting of a Sāmavedic hymn—specifically the Rathantara—Vaiśampāyana is interrupted by a speaker who points out that the recitation is not being performed correctly.