Shloka 55
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स उपाध्यायं प्रत्युवाच--अर्कपत्राणि भक्षयित्वान्धीभूतो5स्म्यत: कूपे पतित इति,उसने उपाध्यायको उत्तर दिया--'भगवन्! मैं आकके पत्ते खाकर अन्धा हो गया हूँ; इसीलिये कुएँमें गिर गया”
sa upādhyāyaṃ pratyuvāca—arkapatrāṇi bhakṣayitvāndhībhūto ’smy ataḥ kūpe patita iti
Er antwortete dem Lehrer: „Ehrwürdiger Herr, nachdem ich die Blätter der Arka-Pflanze gegessen habe, bin ich erblindet; darum fiel ich in den Brunnen.“
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical accountability and truthfulness: the speaker openly admits the cause of his impairment and the resulting mishap, modeling honest speech and responsibility in the presence of a teacher.
A student (Rāma) explains to his preceptor that he ate arka leaves, became blind, and consequently fell into a well—an immediate cause-and-effect account offered as a direct reply.