Shloka 21
Adhyāya 136: Yavakrī–Bharadvāja Saṃvāda and the Bāladhī–Dhanuṣākṣa Gāthā
Arrogance, Boons, and Nimitta
कालेन महता वेदा: शक््या गुरुमुखाद् विभो । प्राप्तुं तस्मादयं यत्न: परमो मे समास्थित:,प्रभो! गुरुके मुखसे दीर्घकालके पश्चात् वेदोंका ज्ञान हो सकता है। अतः मेरा यह महान् प्रयत्न शीघ्र ही सम्पूर्ण वेदोंका ज्ञान प्राप्त करनेके लिये है
kālena mahatā vedāḥ śakyā gurumukhād vibho | prāptuṁ tasmād ayaṁ yatnaḥ paramo me samāsthitaḥ ||
Yavakrīta dijo: «Oh poderoso señor, los Vedas pueden obtenerse, en verdad, de la boca de un maestro, pero sólo tras un tiempo larguísimo. Por eso he emprendido este esfuerzo supremo, buscando alcanzar pronto el conocimiento completo de todos los Vedas.»
यवक्रीत उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred knowledge is traditionally gained through sustained, patient learning from a guru; the verse highlights the tension between disciplined apprenticeship and the desire for rapid mastery.
Yavakrīta explains his motivation: since learning the Vedas from a teacher takes a long time, he has resolved upon an extraordinary effort to obtain complete Vedic knowledge swiftly.