Shloka 44

Devanagari script

स्थापनाक्षेपसिद्धान्तपरमर्थज्ञतां गतै: । शब्दच्छन्दोनिरुक्तज्ै: कालज्ञानविशारदै:

Transliteration

sthāpanākṣepasiddhāntaparamārthajñatāṁ gataiḥ | śabdacchandoniruktajñaiḥ kālajñānaviśāradaiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: They had attained mastery in the methods of establishing and refuting arguments, were grounded in settled conclusions and the highest truth, were experts in language, metre, and etymology, and were highly skilled in the knowledge of time—thus portraying the learned authorities whose disciplined scholarship supports right judgment and sound counsel.

Word by Word

स्थापनाक्षेपसिद्धान्तपरमर्थज्ञताम्knowledge of the ultimate purport of (the methods of) establishment, objection, and conclusion

गतैःby/with those who have attained

शब्दच्छन्दोनिरुक्तज्ञैःby those versed in grammar/words, metrics, and etymology

कालज्ञानविशारदैःby those expert in knowledge of time (astronomy/chronology)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True authority in dharma and counsel rests on disciplined learning: the ability to establish and refute arguments, clarity about settled conclusions, and competence in linguistic and interpretive sciences, guided by a sense of proper time and occasion.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator, Vaiśampāyana, characterizes a group of learned persons by listing their areas of expertise—debate methods, doctrinal certainty, ultimate meaning, grammar and metrics, etymology, and knowledge of timing—setting the scene for decisions or discussions that require qualified judgment.