Shloka 3

Parāśara’s Counsel on बुद्धि (Discernment), Karma-Consequences, and Avoidance of Pāpānubandha Actions

Devanagari script

भवता कथितं होतच्छुद्दधे चाहमच्युत । भूयस्तु मे समुत्पन्ना बुद्धिरव्यक्तदर्शनात्‌,आपने इस घटनाका वर्णन किया है; इसलिये मैं इसे सत्य मानता और इसपर विश्वास करता हूँ; क्योंकि आप कभी सत्यसे विचलित नहीं होते हैं तथापि यह बात स्पष्टरूपसे मेरी समझमें नहीं आयी है; अतः पुनः मेरी बुद्धिमें प्रश्न उत्पन्न हो गया

Transliteration

bhavatā kathitaṃ hotacchuddadhe cāham acyuta | bhūyastu me samutpannā buddhir avyaktadarśanāt ||

Translation

O Acyuta, du hast dies berichtet; darum nehme ich es als wahr an und setze mein Vertrauen darauf, denn du weichst niemals von der Wahrheit ab. Doch ist die Sache meinem Verständnis nicht klar geworden; da ihr Sinn meinem Blick noch unverhüllt nicht erscheint, ist in meinem Geist erneut eine Frage entstanden.

Word by Word

• {'bhavatā': 'by you (instrumental singular of bhavat)', 'kathitam': 'told, narrated', 'śraddadhe': 'I trust, I place faith (in it)', 'aham': 'I', 'acyuta': "Acyuta

• 'the infallible one' (epithet of a revered, truth-abiding person)", 'bhūyas': 'again, once more', 'me': 'to me / in me', 'samutpannā': 'arisen, sprung up', 'buddhiḥ': 'understanding, intellect, thought', 'avyakta': 'unmanifest, unclear, not evident', 'darśanāt': 'because of (lack of) seeing/clarity

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Acyuta

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Trust in a truthful teacher is affirmed, yet faith is not presented as a substitute for understanding; when a teaching remains unclear (avyakta), one should ask again so that knowledge becomes explicit and ethically actionable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Acyuta, acknowledging the reliability of his account, but admits that the point has not become clear to him; therefore he raises a renewed question, seeking further explanation.