Sutra 18

Devanagari script

शुश्रूषा श्रवणग्रहणधारणविज्ञानोहापोहतत्त्वाभिनिविष्टबुद्धिं विद्या विनयति नेतरम् ॥ कZ_०१.५.०५ ॥

Transliteration

śuśrūṣā śravaṇa-grahaṇa-dhāraṇa-vijñāna-uhāpoha-tattvābhiniviṣṭa-buddhiṃ vidyā vinayati netaram

Translation

Knowledge disciplines only that intellect which is marked by service-minded attentiveness (śuśrūṣā), hearing, grasping, retention, understanding, reasoning (inference and elimination), and firm commitment to the truth; not any other.

Word by Word

• शुश्रूषा: attentive service; eagerness to listen/learn
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रु (सेवायाम्/श्रवणे)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; भाववाचक-संज्ञा (सेवा/श्रवण-इच्छा)

• श्रवणग्रहणधारणविज्ञानोहापोहतत्त्वाभिनिविष्टबुद्धिम्: an intellect firmly grounded in listening, grasping, retaining, understanding, reasoning, elimination of alternatives, truth, and settled conviction
• Type: Noun
• Root: (समास; मुख्यपद: बुद्धि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘बुद्धि’ इति प्रधानपदं, तद्विशेषणं बहुव्रीहिः—यस्याः बुद्धिः श्रवण-ग्रहण-धारण-विज्ञान-ऊह-अपोह-तत्त्व-अभिनिवेशयुक्ता सा (तादृशीं बुद्धिम्)

• विद्या: learning; (here) disciplined instruction/knowledge
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद् (ज्ञाने)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• विनयति: trains; disciplines; leads to proper conduct
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (नये) उपसर्ग: वि; causative sense in usage
• Form: लट् लकार, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; सकर्मक—‘विनयति’ = विनयं नयति/प्रापयति (शिक्षयति, शासयति)

• न: not
• Type: Particle
• Root: न (निषेध)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• इतरम्: the other (i.e., one lacking that intellect); anything else
• Type: Pronoun/Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: इतर
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘अन्यं (बुद्धिम्/जनम्)’ इत्यर्थे

Entities Mentioned

• vidyā (knowledge)
• vinaya (discipline)
• cognitive skills (hearing, retention, reasoning)

More Details

FAQs

What does this verse suggest about selecting and training officials?

Training works only for teachable candidates with attention, memory, comprehension, and analytical reasoning; recruitment should screen for these cognitive and ethical dispositions.

How is ‘uhāpoha’ relevant to administration?

It points to decision-making by structured reasoning—testing hypotheses, excluding implausible options, and converging on what fits evidence and principles.