Shloka 18

Saṃvaraṇa’s Petition and Tapatī’s Conditioned Consent (सम्वरण-तपती संवादः)

Devanagari script

गुरुणा चाननुज्ञातो ग्राहयेद्‌ यत्‌ सुतो मम । न स कुर्यात्‌ तथा कार्य विद्ययेति सतां मतम्‌,और यदि मेरा पुत्र गुरुकी आज्ञा लिये बिना अपना मन्त्र किसीको सिखा देगा तो वह सीखनेवाला मनुष्य उस मन्त्रसे वैसा कार्य नहीं कर सकेगा, जैसा मेरा पुत्र कर लेता है। इस विषयमें साधु पुरुषोंका ऐसा ही मत है

Transliteration

guruṇā cānanujñāto grāhayet yat suto mama | na sa kuryāt tathā kāryaṃ vidyeti satāṃ matam ||

Translation

The brāhmaṇa said: “If my son, without first obtaining his teacher’s permission, were to teach his mantra to someone, then the one who learns it would not be able to accomplish with that mantra the same effective result that my son can. Such is the considered view of the virtuous.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'guruṇā', 'definition': 'by the teacher

• instrumental singular of guru'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}, {'term': 'ananujñātaḥ', 'definition': 'not permitted

• not authorized (especially by a teacher)'}, {'term': 'grāhayet', 'definition': 'should cause to learn

• should teach (causative/optative sense)'}, {'term': 'yat', 'definition': 'if/that (introducing the conditional clause)'}, {'term': 'sutaḥ', 'definition': 'son'}, {'term': 'mama', 'definition': 'my'}, {'term': 'na', 'definition': 'not'}, {'term': 'saḥ', 'definition': 'he

• that person (the learner)'}, {'term': 'kuryāt', 'definition': 'would do

• would be able to perform/accomplish'}, {'term': 'tathā', 'definition': 'in that manner

• to the same extent'}, {'term': 'kāryam', 'definition': 'the intended act/effect

• the work to be accomplished'}, {'term': 'vidyā', 'definition': 'knowledge

• (here) mantra-knowledge/occult efficacy'}, {'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus

• marking quoted opinion'}, {'term': 'satām', 'definition': 'of the good/virtuous

• of the righteous'}, {'term': 'matam', 'definition': 'opinion

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (the brāhmaṇa speaker)
• गुरु (teacher)
• सुत (son)
• मन्त्र/विद्या (mantra, sacred knowledge)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sacred knowledge—especially mantra-vidyā—should be transmitted only with the teacher’s authorization; otherwise its efficacy is believed to diminish, and the act becomes ethically improper within the guru–śiṣya code.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa explains a norm of conduct: if his son were to teach a mantra without the guru’s consent, the recipient would not achieve the same results. He supports this by appealing to the accepted opinion of the virtuous (satām matam).