Shloka 23
Marutta Seeks Saṃvarta’s Priestly Support; Conditions, Truth-Discipline, and Rival Powers
मा चापि शुभबुद्धित्वं लभेयमिह कहिचित् । विषयै: सड़तं चास्तु त्यजेयं सड़तं यदि,यदि आपका साथ छोड़ दूँ तो मुझे संसारमें शुभ बुद्धि कभी न प्राप्त हो और मैं सदा विषयोंमें ही रचा-पचा रह जाऊँ
mā cāpi śubhabuddhitvaṃ labheyam iha kvacit | viṣayaiḥ saṅgataṃ cāstu tyajeyaṃ saṅgataṃ yadi ||
Marutta said: “If I were ever to abandon your company, may I never attain noble discernment in this world; rather, let me remain ever entangled with sense-objects—if indeed I were to give up that association (with you).”
मरुत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that abandoning the company of the virtuous (or one’s guide) leads to loss of right discernment (śubha-buddhi) and increased bondage to sense-objects (viṣaya-saṅga). It frames ethical clarity as dependent on steadfast association with what is elevating.
Marutta speaks in the form of a vow-like statement: he declares that if he were to leave the other’s companionship, he accepts the consequence of never gaining noble understanding and instead remaining immersed in worldly pleasures—underscoring his resolve not to abandon that association.