Shloka 12
Āśramamaṇḍala-darśana and Ṛṣi-samāgama
Observation of the Hermitage Precinct and the Assembly of Sages
आस्तीक उवाच ऋषिरद्द्धपायनो यत्र पुराणस्तपसो निधि: । यज्ञे कुरुकुलश्रेष्ठ तस्य लोकावुभौ जितौ
Āstīka uvāca: ṛṣir Dvaipāyano yatra purāṇas tapaso nidhiḥ | yajñe Kurukulaśreṣṭha tasya lokāv ubhau jitau ||
阿斯提迦说道：“彼处有古圣岛生（Dvaipāyana，毗耶娑）在座，乃苦行之无尽宝藏。噢，俱卢族之最胜者，凭此祭业，他在两界（此世与彼世）皆得胜利。”
आस्तीक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that disciplined austerity and righteous sacrificial action (yajña grounded in dharma) yield comprehensive merit—benefiting one’s standing in this life and one’s destiny beyond it (“both worlds”).
Āstīka points to the presence of the venerable sage Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) at a sacrificial context and praises the spiritual efficacy of that rite, addressing a listener as “best of the Kurus,” and stating that the act secured success in both worldly and otherworldly terms.