Shloka 46

Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)

Devanagari script

वायुदेव उवाच अहं गुरुर्महाबाहो मन: शिष्यं च विद्धि मे । त्वत्प्रीत्या गुह्ममेतच्च कथितं ते धनंजय,श्रीकृष्णने कहा--महाबाहो! मैं ही गुरु हूँ और मेरे मनको ही शिष्य समझो। धनंजय! तुम्हारे स्नेहवश मैंने इस गोपनीय रहस्यका वर्णन किया है

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca | ahaṃ gurur mahābāho manaḥ śiṣyaṃ ca viddhi me | tvatprītyā guhyaṃ etac ca kathitaṃ te dhanaṃjaya |

Translation

Vāyudeva said: “O mighty-armed one, know that I am the teacher, and that my own mind is the disciple. Out of affection for you, O Dhanañjaya, I have disclosed to you this secret teaching.”

Word by Word

• {'vāyudevaḥ': 'the Wind-god

• deity presiding over vāyu (wind, vital force)', 'uvāca': 'said

• spoke', 'aham': 'I', 'guruḥ': 'teacher

• spiritual preceptor', 'mahābāho': 'O mighty-armed one (epithet of Arjuna)', 'manaḥ': 'mind

• inner faculty of thought and intention', 'śiṣyam': 'disciple

• student', 'viddhi': 'know

• understand (imperative)', 'me': 'of me

• my', 'tvatprītyā': 'out of affection for you

• because of your dear regard', 'guhyam': 'secret

• confidential doctrine', 'etat': 'this', 'kathitam': 'told

• narrated', 'te': 'to you', 'dhanaṃjaya': 'O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna, ‘conqueror of wealth’)'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya, Mahābāhu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames inner mastery as the heart of instruction: the true ‘disciple’ is the mind, which must be trained and guided. The teacher’s authority is presented as rooted in a higher principle (Vāyudeva), and the teaching is marked as ‘guhya’—meant for a worthy recipient and to be applied ethically through self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Ashvamedhika context, Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna directly, revealing a confidential doctrine. He emphasizes the intimacy and responsibility of transmission—he speaks because of affection for Arjuna, and he defines the pedagogical relationship in an inward way: teacherhood culminates in disciplining the mind.