Shloka 19
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
मिषतो देवलस्यापि ततो<र्ध हृतवानहम् । स्ववेददक्षिणायार्थे विमर्दे मातुलेन ह
miṣato devalasyāpi tato 'rdhaṃ hṛtavān aham | svavedadakṣiṇāyārthe vimarde mātulena ha ||
Yājñavalkya said: “Even as the sage Devala looked on, I took half for myself. For the sake of the dakṣiṇā due to my own Vedic teacher, and because my maternal uncle pressed the matter insistently, I gave him half of that offering and kept the other half.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical conflict: fulfilling one’s legitimate obligation (guru-dakṣiṇā for one’s own Vedic study) can be complicated by improper claims and social pressure. It implicitly warns that even a seemingly practical compromise—splitting a gift—may be morally questionable when it violates the integrity of what should be offered wholly and transparently.
Yājñavalkya recounts an incident involving the sage Devala and his maternal uncle. Under the uncle’s insistent urging, and even in Devala’s presence, Yājñavalkya divides the dakṣiṇā: he gives half to the uncle and keeps half for his own Vedic teacher’s fee.