Shloka 13
Nāga-āyatana-darśana-pratīkṣā — The Brāhmaṇa’s Request and Waiting on the Gomatī
आरण्यकं च वेदेभ्य ओषधिभ्योडमृतं यथा । समुद्धृतमिदं ब्रह्मन् कथामृतमिदं तथा
āraṇyakaṃ ca vedebhya oṣadhibhyo 'mṛtaṃ yathā | samuddhṛtam idaṃ brahman kathāmṛtam idaṃ tathā ||
Sinabi ni Janamejaya: “O Brahman, kung paanong ang mga Āraṇyaka ay hinahango mula sa mga Veda, at ang amṛta ay kinukuha mula sa mga halamang-gamot, gayundin ay inilabas mo at iniharap sa amin ang amṛta ng banal na salaysay na ito. Sa pagdalisay ng diwa, ginagawa mong abot-kamay at gabay-sa-buhay ang malalim na dharma.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the highest ethical and spiritual guidance (dharma) can be distilled into narrative: a well-told, well-chosen story becomes “nectar,” extracting the essence of vast scriptures and making it usable for listeners.
King Janamejaya addresses the learned Brahmin narrator with reverence, praising him for extracting and presenting the essence of wisdom—comparing the narration to drawing Āraṇyaka teachings from the Vedas and nectar from medicinal herbs.