Shloka 22

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)

Devanagari script

स एकं शिष्यमारुणिं पाज्चाल्यं प्रेषयामास गच्छ केदारखण्डं बधानेति,एक दिन उपाध्यायने अपने एक शिष्य पांचालदेशवासी आरुणिको खेतपर भेजा और कहा--“वत्स! जाओ, क्यारियोंकी टूटी हुई मेड़ बाँध दो”

Transliteration

sa ekaṁ śiṣyam āruṇiṁ pāñcālyaṁ preṣayāmāsa—gaccha kedārakhaṇḍaṁ badhāneti.

Translation

Eines Tages schickte er einen einzigen Schüler—Āruṇi aus dem Land der Pāñcāla—und sprach: „Geh und setze den gebrochenen Damm an den Feldparzellen wieder instand.“

Word by Word

सःhe

एकम्one

शिष्यम्disciple

आरुणिम्Āruṇi (proper name)

पाञ्चाल्यम्a Pāñcāla (man of Pāñcāla country)

प्रेषयामासsent

गच्छgo

केदारखण्डम्a section/plot of the field (kedar-plot)

बधानbind, repair (tie up)

इतिthus (quotative)

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Rāma (speaker as given)

Āruṇi

Pāñcāla (region/people)

kedāra (field)

kedārakhaṇḍa (field-plot/section)

embankment/bund (implied by ‘badhāna’ in context)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights guru-śiṣya dharma: a student learns character through practical service—prompt obedience, diligence, and taking responsibility for protecting shared work (here, the field’s embankment).

What is happening in the narrative?

A teacher assigns his disciple Āruṇi, a Pāñcāla youth, to go to the cultivated plots and repair the broken bund/embankment—an everyday task used as a test of discipline and commitment.