Shloka 17

नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः

Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city

Devanagari script

चत्वार एकतो वेदा: साड्रोपाड़्ा: सविस्तरा: । स्वधीता मनुजव्याप्र सत्यमेक॑ किलैकत:,नरसिंह! एक ओर अंग और उपांगोंसहित विस्तारपूर्वक चारों वेदोंका स्वाध्याय हो और दूसरी ओर केवल सत्यभाषण हो तो वह निश्चय ही उससे बढ़कर है

Transliteration

catvāra ekato vedāḥ sāṅgopāṅgāḥ savistarāḥ | svādhītā manujavyāghra satyam ekaṃ kilai kataḥ narasiṃha ||

Translation

قال بْرِهَدَشْوَة: «يا نمرَ الرجال، يا أسدَ البشر—لو كان في جانبٍ دراسةُ الفيدات الأربع كاملةً مع أعضائها وعلومها التابعة، وفي الجانب الآخر لم يكن إلا الصدق وحده، لكان الصدق وحده حقًّا أعظمَ منهما.»

Word by Word

चत्वारःfour

एकतःon one side

वेदाःVedas

साङ्गोपाङ्गाःwith limbs and sub-limbs (ancillary disciplines)

सविस्तराःin full detail

स्वाधीताःwell-studied / recited (by oneself)

मनुजव्याघ्रO tiger among men

सत्यम्truth / truthfulness

एकम्alone / only

किलindeed / it is said

एकतःon the other side

नरसिंहO lion among men

Speaker

बृहृदश्च उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

Vedas (the four Vedas)

manujavyāghra (epithet of the addressee)

narasiṃha (epithet of the addressee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse ranks ethical integrity—especially truthfulness in speech—above even exhaustive scriptural learning. Mastery of the four Vedas with all auxiliary disciplines is portrayed as less valuable than steadfast commitment to truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva addresses a heroic listener (praised as “tiger/lion among men”) and offers a moral evaluation: between vast Vedic study and simple truthfulness, he declares truthfulness to be superior, reinforcing a dharmic standard for conduct.