Shloka 1
अष्टावक्र-प्रवेशः तथा ब्रह्मोद्य-प्रारम्भः
Aṣṭāvakra’s Entry and the Opening of the Brahmodya
अपना स२ (0 अवज असल द्वात्रिशर्दाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: अष्टावक्रके जन्मका वृत्तान्त और उनका राजा जनकके दरबारमें जाना लोगमश उवाच यः कथ्यते मन्त्रविदग्थबुद्धि- रौद्दालकि: श्वेतकेतु: पृथिव्याम् । तस्याश्रमं पश्य नरेन्द्र पुण्यं सदाफलैरुपपन्न महीजै:,लोमशजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! उद्दालकके पुत्र श्वेतकेतु हो गये हैं, जो इस भूतलपर मन्त्र-शास्त्रमें अत्यन्त निपुण कहे जाते थे, देखो यह पवित्र आश्रम उन्हींका है। जो सदा फल देनेवाले वृक्षोंसे हरा-भरा दिखायी देता है
lomaśa uvāca | yaḥ kathyate mantravidagdhabuddhir auddālakiḥ śvetaketuḥ pṛthivyām | tasyāśramaṃ paśya narendra puṇyaṃ sadāphalair upapannaṃ mahījaiḥ ||
Lomaśa said: “O king, behold this holy hermitage of Śvetaketu, the son of Uddālaka—renowned on earth for a mind made keen through mastery of sacred mantras. See how pure this āśrama is, richly endowed with trees that bear fruit in every season.”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds reverence for sacred learning and holy places: a life refined by mantra-knowledge is honored, and the āśrama—sustained by nature’s abundance—stands as a symbol of purity, discipline, and dharmic living.
During the forest journey, Lomaśa points out to Yudhiṣṭhira the hermitage associated with Śvetaketu, son of Uddālaka, praising his reputation and indicating the hermitage’s sanctity and natural prosperity.