Shloka 165
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
ततस्तस्य वचनान्मया तदृषभस्य पुरीषमुपयुक्ते स चापि कः । तदेतद् भवतोपदिष्टमिच्छेयं श्रोतुं किं तदिति । स तेनैवमुक्त उपाध्याय: प्रत्युवाच,“तब उस पुरुषके कहनेसे मैंने उस बैलका गोबर खा लिया। अतः वह बैल और पुरुष कौन थे? मैं आपके मुखसे सुनना चाहता हूँ, वह सब क्या था?” उत्तंकके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर उपाध्यायने उत्तर दिया--
tatas tasya vacanān mayā tadṛṣabhasya purīṣam upayukte sa cāpi kaḥ | tad etad bhavatopadiṣṭam iccheyaṃ śrotuṃ kiṃ tad iti | sa tenaivam ukta upādhyāyaḥ pratyuvāca |
Then, at that man’s bidding, I ate the dung of that bull. So who, in truth, were that bull and that man? I wish to hear from your own mouth what it all meant, as you have instructed me. When he had spoken thus, the teacher replied.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames a disciple’s obedience and subsequent inquiry: actions done under instruction—even when puzzling or repugnant—may be part of a deliberate test or symbolic lesson. The ethical emphasis is on disciplined compliance followed by respectful questioning to understand the deeper purpose (artha) behind the act.
The speaker recounts that, on a man’s command, he ate the dung of a bull. He then asks his teacher to reveal the true identity of the bull and the man and to explain the meaning of the event. The verse ends by introducing the teacher’s forthcoming reply.