Shloka 21

Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

श्रुते वयसि जातौ च सद्धावो नाधिगम्यते | एष्वर्थेषूत्तरं तस्मात्‌ प्रवेद्यं मत्समागमे

Transliteration

śrute vayasi jātau ca saddhāvo nādhigamyate | eṣv artheṣūttaraṃ tasmāt pravedyaṃ matsamāgame ||

Translation

Janaka said: “Without asking, one cannot truly ascertain a person’s learning from the Veda and scriptures, his age, or his birth. Therefore, since you have come into contact with me, it is necessary that you give a clear and truthful reply on these matters here and now.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śrute', 'definition': 'in learning

• in what has been heard/studied (śruti, scriptural learning)'}, {'term': 'vayasi', 'definition': 'in age

• regarding one’s stage of life'}, {'term': 'jātau', 'definition': 'in birth

• lineage/caste/origin'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}, {'term': 'saddhāvaḥ', 'definition': 'true state/reality

• the factual truth about something'}, {'term': 'na adhigamyate', 'definition': 'is not ascertained/known (without inquiry)'}, {'term': 'eṣu artheṣu', 'definition': 'in these matters

• regarding these points'}, {'term': 'uttaram', 'definition': 'answer

• reply'}, {'term': 'tasmāt', 'definition': 'therefore

• for that reason'}, {'term': 'pravedyam', 'definition': 'to be clearly stated/made known

• to be disclosed accurately'}, {'term': 'mat-samāgame', 'definition': 'in meeting with me

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janaka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Janaka emphasizes epistemic humility and ethical inquiry: a person’s learning, age, and social origin cannot be reliably known by assumption or appearance; truthful knowledge requires direct questioning and a clear answer.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a dialogue context, King Janaka addresses his interlocutor and requests an explicit, accurate account of the person’s learning, age, and birth, since their meeting provides the occasion to clarify these uncertainties.