Shloka 21
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
अनुभूतं च दृष्टं च यन्मयाद्भुतमुत्तमम् | उज्छवृत्तेवदान्यस्य कुरुक्षेत्रनिवासिन:
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | anubhūtaṃ ca dṛṣṭaṃ ca yan mayādbhutam uttamam | ucchavṛttivedānyasya kurukṣetranivāsinaḥ ||
毗舍摩波耶那说：“我亲身经历、亲眼所见的——一段极其殊胜而真可称奇的事迹——乃是关于一位慷慨的婆罗门：他以清苦之业（uccavṛtti）维生，居于俱卢之地的库鲁克舍特拉。”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical exemplar: true excellence can appear in a life of strict simplicity (ucchavṛtti) joined with generosity (dāna). Moral worth is measured not by abundance but by disciplined livelihood and the will to give.
Vaiśaṃpāyana introduces a remarkable episode he both witnessed and experienced, centered on a generous brāhmaṇa living at Kurukṣetra with an austere means of subsistence, preparing the listener for an instructive account of dharma in practice.