Shloka 24

एकचक्रानिवासे ब्राह्मणगृहदुःखश्रवणम् | Hearing the Brāhmaṇa Household’s Distress at Ekacakrā

Devanagari script

नाचक्षुवेत्ति पन्थानं नाचक्षुविन्दते दिश: । नाधृतिर्बुद्धिमाप्रोति बुध्यस्वैवं प्रबोधित:,“जिसके आँखें नहीं हैं, वह मार्ग नहीं जान पाता; अंधेको दिशाओंका ज्ञान नहीं होता और जो धैर्य खो देता है, उसे सदबुद्धि नहीं प्राप्त होती। इस प्रकार मेरे समझानेपर तुम मेरी बातको भलीभाँति समझ लोः

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: nācakṣuḥ vetti panthānaṃ nācakṣuḥ vindate diśaḥ | nādhṛtir buddhim āpnoti budhyasvaivaṃ prabodhitaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Wer keine Augen hat, erkennt den Weg nicht; der Blinde findet die Richtungen nicht. Ebenso erlangt, wer die Standhaftigkeit verloren hat, kein rechtes Urteil. Darum, so unterwiesen, verstehe meinen Rat klar.“

Word by Word

• {'nācakṣuḥ': 'one without eyes

• blind (figuratively: lacking discernment)', 'vetti': 'knows, understands', 'panthānam': 'path, road

• course of action', 'vindate': 'finds, obtains', 'diśaḥ': 'directions, quarters

• bearings', 'adhṛtiḥ': 'steadfastness, firmness, composure (absence of it: loss of courage/resolve)', 'buddhim': 'intelligence, judgment, right understanding', 'āpnoti': 'attains, reaches', 'budhyasva': 'understand! awaken to! (imperative, 2nd person singular)', 'evaṃ': 'thus, in this manner', 'prabodhitaḥ': 'instructed, admonished, awakened (by counsel)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that discernment and right judgment require inner steadiness: just as physical blindness prevents finding a path or directions, loss of composure (adhṛti) prevents attaining sound understanding (buddhi).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana delivers a didactic admonition, using the metaphor of blindness to press the listener to accept guidance and regain clarity and resolve in deciding the proper course.