Shloka 10

Adhyaya 10 — Jaimini’s Questions on Birth, Death, Karma, and the Embodied Journey

Sanskrit

वेदानधीष्व सुमते यथानुक्रममादितः ।

गुरुशुश्रूषणे व्यग्रो भैक्षान्नकृतभोजनः ॥

Transliteration

vedān adhīṣva sumate yathānukramam āditaḥ |

guruśuśrūṣaṇe vyagro bhaikṣānna-kṛta-bhojanaḥ ||

Translation

(Er sprach:) „Studiere die Veden, o Sumati, in der gebührenden Ordnung von Anfang an. Sei eifrig im Dienst am Lehrer und nimm deine Nahrung nur aus Almosen (erbettelter Speise), wie vorgeschrieben.“

Word by Word

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• अधीष्व: study
• अधीष्व: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि+इ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सुमते: O Sumati
• सुमते: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुमति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• यथा: according to
• यथा: Prakaraṇa (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (as/according to)

• अनुक्रमम्: in due order
• अनुक्रमम्: Prakaraṇa (प्रकार/रीति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of manner)

• आदितः: from the beginning
• आदितः: Kala/Avadhi (काल/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: from the beginning)

• गुरु-शुश्रूषणे: in service to the teacher
• गुरु-शुश्रूषणे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक) + शुश्रूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गुरोः शुश्रूषणम्)

• व्यग्रः: eager, intent
• व्यग्रः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (कर्ता)

• भैक्ष-अन्न-कृत-भोजनः: one whose meal is made of alms-food
• भैक्ष-अन्न-कृत-भोजनः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भैक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त; कृ धातु, क्त) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त अंशयुक्त; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भैक्षान्नेन कृतं भोजनं यस्य)

Speakers

• Within the narrated story: Bhārgava father instructing Sumati (as reported by the Birds)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Brahmacarya
• Vedic study (svādhyāya)
• Guru service
• Austerity/discipline

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Knowledge is framed as inseparable from discipline: learning the Veda requires humility (service), restraint (regulated food), and method (sequence).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is dharma-śikṣā (instruction on conduct), a common Purāṇic function alongside pancalakṣaṇa narratives; it aligns especially with varṇāśrama-dharma teaching rather than cosmological cataloging.

What is the esoteric significance?

The triad—svādhyāya, guru-sevā, and bhikṣā—purifies ego and senses, preparing the mind to grasp the ‘supreme secret’ behind birth/death that the chapter is moving toward.