Shloka 80
ग्रन्थग्रन्थिं तदा चक्रे मुनिर्गूठं कुतूहलात् । यस्मिन् प्रतिज्ञया प्राह मुनिर्द्धपायनस्त्विदम्,तब व्यासजी भी कुतूहलवश ग्रन्थमें गाँठ लगाने लगे। वे ऐसे-ऐसे श्लोक बोल देते जिनका अर्थ बाहरसे दूसरा मालूम पड़ता और भीतर कुछ और होता। इसके सम्बन्धमें प्रतिज्ञापूर्वक श्रीकृष्णद्वैपायन मुनिने यह बात कही है--
grantha-granthiṁ tadā cakre munir gūḍhaṁ kutūhalāt | yasmin pratijñayā prāha munir dvaipāyanas tv idam ||
Then the sage, moved by curiosity, began to tie “knots” in the text—deliberately composing passages with hidden turns of meaning. In that very context, the sage Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) made a solemn declaration about this practice: that certain verses would appear to mean one thing outwardly, while conveying another meaning within, thereby testing discernment and safeguarding the integrity of the narrative.
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that sacred narrative can contain deliberate ‘knots’—cryptic constructions that require careful interpretation. It encourages disciplined reading, discernment, and respect for layered meaning rather than taking every statement only at face value.
Vyāsa is described as intentionally inserting hidden or puzzling turns of phrase into the composition, and he is about to (or does) make a formal declaration (pratijñā) explaining or justifying this method—signaling that some verses have an outer sense and an inner sense.