Shloka 3

Devanagari script

वायुदेव उवाच नासुद्गत्‌ परमं मन्त्र नारदाहति वेदितुम्‌ | अपण्डितो वापि सुहृत्‌ पण्डितो वाप्यनात्मवान्‌

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca nāsudgataḥ paramaṃ mantraṃ nāradāhati veditum | apaṇḍito vāpi suhṛt paṇḍito vāpyanātmavān

Translation

قال فايوديفا: «إن نارادا لا يقدر على إدراك ذلك المانترا الأسمى. فحتى الصديقُ حسنُ النية قد يكون غيرَ متعلّم؛ وحتى العالِم قد يظلّ بلا ضبطٍ للنفس».

Word by Word

वायुदेवःVāyudeva (the Wind-god)

उवाचsaid

नnot

असुद्गत्one who has not gone to the good (i.e., not well-disposed/ill-fated person)

परमम्supreme, highest

मन्त्रम्mantra, sacred formula/teaching

नारदःNārada

अर्हतिis fit/deserves

वेदितुम्to know

अपण्डितःan unlearned person

वाor

अपिeven, also

सुहृत्a friend, well-wisher

पण्डितःa learned person

वाor

अपिeven, also

अनात्मवान्without self-control

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)

न

नारद (Nārada)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes learning from inner discipline: mere scholarship does not guarantee fitness for the highest teaching, and true eligibility for profound knowledge requires self-mastery (ātma-saṃyama), not just intellect or social closeness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks about the capacity to grasp a ‘supreme mantra,’ stating that even the sage Nārada is unable to comprehend it in this context, and then generalizes the point by contrasting an unlearned friend with a learned but undisciplined person.