Shloka 47
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
शिष्यत्वमुपगच्छध्वं विधिवद्धि ममेत्युत । राजन्! यह सुनकर वे सब महर्षि वहाँ आये और आकर मुनिश्रेष्ठ सारस्वतसे इस प्रकार बोले--'मुने! आप हम लोगोंको वेद पढ़ाइये।” तब सारस्वतने उनसे कहा --“आपलोग विधिपूर्वक मेरी शिष्यता ग्रहण करें ।। तत्राब्रुवन् मुनिगणा बालस्त्वमसि पुत्रक
śiṣyatvam upagacchadhvaṁ vidhivad dhi mamety uta | rājan, yaḥ śrutvā te sarve maharṣayaḥ tatra ājagmuḥ, āgatya muniśreṣṭhaṁ sārasvataṁ caivam abruvan—“mune, asmān vedān pāṭhaya” iti | tataḥ sārasvato ’bravīt—“yūyaṁ vidhivat mama śiṣyatāṁ gṛhṇīta” iti ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, hearing this, all those great seers came there. Having arrived, they addressed the foremost sage Sārasvata: ‘O sage, teach us the Vedas.’ Sārasvata replied, ‘Then accept discipleship under me in the proper manner, according to rule.’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred knowledge is not obtained merely by request; it requires proper submission to a qualified teacher and acceptance of disciplined discipleship (vidhivat śiṣyatva). The verse underscores humility, procedure, and the ethical framework of learning.
A group of great sages approaches the sage Sārasvata and asks him to teach them the Vedas. He agrees on the condition that they formally and properly become his disciples, following the prescribed rules of the teacher–student relationship.