Shloka 29

Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition

Devanagari script

श्रुतं प्रज्ञानुगं यस्य प्रज्ञा चैव श्रुतानुगा । असम्भिन्नार्यमर्याद: पण्डिताख्यां लभेत सः,जिसकी विद्या बुद्धिका अनुसरण करती है और बुद्धि विद्याका तथा जो शिष्ट पुरुषोंकी मर्यादाका उल्लंघन नहीं करता, वही पण्डितकी संज्ञा पा सकता है

Transliteration

śrutaṃ prajñānugaṃ yasya prajñā caiva śrutānugā | asambhinnāryamaryādaḥ paṇḍitākhyāṃ labheta saḥ ||

Translation

Vidura sagt: Nur der verdient den Namen eines Gelehrten, dessen Wissen der Weisheit folgt und dessen Weisheit wiederum dem Wissen folgt—und der die gesetzten Grenzen edler Lebensführung nicht überschreitet. Diese Harmonie von Kenntnis, Urteilskraft und Achtung vor den Maßstäben der Gebildeten ist das Kennzeichen des wahren paṇḍita.

Word by Word

श्रुतम्learning; what is heard (scriptural learning)

प्रज्ञानुगम्following wisdom; guided by intelligence

यस्यof whom; whose

प्रज्ञाwisdom; intelligence

चand

एवindeed; just

श्रुतानुगाfollowing learning; guided by what is heard/learnt

असम्भिन्नunbroken; not violated

आर्य-मर्यादःthe boundary/standard of the noble (conduct of the cultured)

पण्डित-आख्याम्the designation/name 'learned'

लभेतmay obtain; can attain

सःhe

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True scholarship is not mere accumulation of learning; it is the mutual alignment of learning (śruta) and discernment (prajñā), expressed through unwavering respect for noble standards of conduct (ārya-maryādā).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vidura’s counsel during the Udyoga Parva, he defines who merits the title ‘paṇḍita’: a person whose knowledge and judgment guide each other and who does not transgress the ethical boundaries upheld by the cultured and righteous.