Shloka 54
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
यो वेद वेदान् स च वेद वेद्यं नतं विदुर्वेदविदो न वेदा: । तथापि वेदेन विदन्ति वेदं ये ब्राह्मणा वेदविदो भवन्ति
yo veda vedān sa ca veda vedyam nataṃ vidur vedavido na vedāḥ | tathāpi vedena vidanti vedaṃ ye brāhmaṇā vedavido bhavanti ||
Sanatsujāta says: The one who truly knows the Vedas also knows the supreme Reality that is to be known. Yet such a realized knower is not recognized by those who merely claim expertise in Vedic words, nor is he grasped by the Vedas as mere texts. Still, it is through the Veda—understood in its inner purport—that the Brahman-knowers, the truly Veda-wise, come to know the Veda’s real meaning.
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
True Vedic knowledge is not mere mastery of words; it is realization of the highest knowable reality (vedyam). Only those who become genuine 'veda-vid' in the deeper sense—Brahman-knowers—grasp the Veda’s purport through the Veda itself.
In the Sanatsujāta discourse (Udyoga Parva), Sanatsujāta instructs on higher knowledge and liberation. Here he contrasts textual expertise with realized wisdom, asserting that the Veda’s secret is understood only by spiritually qualified knowers.