Shloka 52

Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)

Devanagari script

द्रष्ट॑ वा नैव विप्रेन्द्रा_ नैव कौतूहलेन वा

Transliteration

draṣṭā vā naiva viprendrā naiva kautūhalena vā

Translation

قال فيرابهادرا: «يا أفضلَ البراهمة، ما جئتُ حتى لأراه—ولا بدافعِ الفضولِ وحده.»

Word by Word

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: तुमुन्, कर्तरि

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• विप्रेन्द्राः: O best of Brahmins (brahmin-lords)
• विप्रेन्द्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्रेन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कौतूहलेन: out of curiosity/with curiosity
• कौतूहलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

Speaker

वीरभद्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• viprendra (addressed brāhmaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse discourages approaching something merely to witness it or from idle curiosity, implying that ethical discernment and restraint should govern what one chooses to see or engage with.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vīrabhadra addresses a learned brāhmaṇa (viprendra) and emphatically rejects the idea of going to see something—stating it should not be done either for observation or for curiosity—suggesting a warning or prohibition within the ongoing instruction.