Shloka 4
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
इमां मे सोपमां वाचं शृणु सत्यामशड्कित: । तां श्र॒ुत्वा श्रेय आदत्स्व यदि साध्विति मनन््यसे,“राजन! तुम निःशंक होकर मेरी यह उदाहरणयुक्त बात सुनो। सुनकर यदि इसे कल्याणकारी और उत्तम समझो तो स्वीकार करो
imāṁ me sopamāṁ vācaṁ śṛṇu satyām aśaṅkitaḥ | tāṁ śrutvā śreya ādatsva yadi sādhv iti manyase ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Listen without hesitation to these truthful words of mine, expressed with an illustrative comparison. Having heard them, accept what leads to your highest good—if, upon reflection, you judge them to be sound and beneficial.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should listen fearlessly to truthful counsel, especially when it is supported by an illustrative example, and then adopt what leads to śreyas—one’s true welfare—after discerning its goodness.
Vaiśampāyana introduces a piece of advice framed as an upamā (illustrative comparison), urging the addressed listener (implicitly a king) to hear it without suspicion and to accept it if it is judged beneficial.