Shloka 16

अग्निवंशवर्णनम् (Agni-vaṃśa-varṇana) / The Genealogy and Function of Agni

Devanagari script

अज्ञानमूलं तं क्लेशमतिवृत्तस्य पौरुषम्‌ । लोकवृत्तिप्रकाशेन ज्ञानमार्गेण गम्यते,उस (पूर्वोक्त) अज्ञानजनित क्लेशसे जो पार हो गया है, उस महापुरुषका प्रभाव उसके द्वारा की जानेवाली लौकिक चेष्टाओंसे ज्ञानमार्गके द्वारा जाना जा सकता है

Transliteration

ajñānamūlaṃ taṃ kleśam ativṛttasya pauruṣam | lokavṛttiprakāśena jñānamārgeṇa gamyate ||

Translation

„Jenes große Wesen hat das aus Unwissen entspringende Leid überschritten. Seine wahre Größe und geistige Kraft erkennt man im Licht seines weltlichen Wandels—indem man in den alltäglichen Handlungen den Weg der Erkenntnis wahrnimmt, der ihn führt.“

Word by Word

अज्ञानमूलम्having ignorance as its root

तम्that (him)

क्लेशम्affliction, suffering

अतिवृत्तस्यof (one) who has gone beyond/overcome

पौरुषम्manly power, prowess

लोकवृत्तिप्रकाशेनby the manifestation/illumination of worldly conduct

ज्ञानमार्गेणby the path of knowledge

गम्यतेis known/understood (lit. is gone to)

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

vyādha (the hunter, speaker)

mahāpuruṣa (the great man; implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person who has overcome ignorance-born suffering is recognized not by claims but by conduct: everyday worldly actions, when illumined by discernment, reveal whether one is established on the path of liberating knowledge.

What is happening in the narrative?

The hunter (vyādha), instructing a seeker in dharma, explains that the greatness of a spiritually mature person is inferred from how he lives and acts in society—his ordinary behavior becomes evidence of inner knowledge and freedom from ignorance.