Shloka 37
Adhyaya 1 — Jaimini’s Questions on the Mahabharata and the Origin of the Wise Birds
तद्वाक्यसमकालं च एकैकास्ता नतास्ततः ।
अहं गुणाधिका न त्वं न त्वं चान्या अब्रवीदिदम् ॥
tadvākyasamakālaṃ ca ekaikāstā natāstataḥ | ahaṃ guṇādhikā na tvaṃ na tvaṃ cānyābravīdidam ||
In dem Augenblick, da jene Worte gesprochen waren, verneigten sich die anderen eine nach der anderen. Dann sprach sie: „Ich bin an Tugenden überlegen; ihr seid es nicht—und ihr seid auch nicht anders als ich.“
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FAQs
The verse depicts a social-ethical fault line: the immediate deference of others contrasts with the speaker’s self-exalting claim of being “guṇādhikā” (superior in virtues). Puranic ethics repeatedly treats true guṇa as inseparable from vinaya (humility). Thus, the scene functions as a caution that public honor (others bowing) can feed ahaṅkāra, and that virtue is tested most when one is praised or deferred to.
This verse is best classified under ancillary narrative/ācāra-dharma framing rather than the core pañcalakṣaṇa categories (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It supports the Purana’s didactic function—setting moral tone and character dynamics that lead into later instruction and discourse.
Esoterically, “guṇa-adhikā” can be read as a misappropriation of sattvic language by ego: claiming guṇa-superiority while speaking in exclusionary negation (“na tvaṃ…”) signals rajas/tamas intruding into self-assessment. The bowing of others symbolizes the mind’s tendency to submit to strong assertions; the verse warns that authority and charisma are not reliable indicators of inner purity.