Shloka 104

Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)

Devanagari script

तमुवाच गुर्वर्थ कुण्डलयोरथ्थेनाभ्यागतोडस्मीति । ये वै ते क्षत्रियया पिनद्धे कुण्डले ते भवान्‌ दातुमर्हतीति,उत्तंकने पौष्यसे कहा--'राजन! मैं गुरुदक्षिणाके निमित्त दो कुण्डलोंके लिये आपके यहाँ आया हूँ। आपकी क्षत्राणीने जिन्हें पहन रखा है, उन्हीं दोनों कुण्डलोंको आप मुझे दे दें। यह आपके योग्य कार्य है”

Transliteration

tam uvāca gurvarthaṁ kuṇḍalayor arthe nābhyāgato ’smi iti | ye vai te kṣatriyayā pinaddhe kuṇḍale te bhavān dātum arhati iti |

Translation

Uttaṅka dit à Pauṣya : « Ô roi, je suis venu demander, pour la gurudakṣiṇā —l’offrande due au maître—, une paire de boucles d’oreilles. Celles-là mêmes que porte ta reine kṣatriya : ces deux-là, tu dois me les donner. C’est un acte digne de toi. »

Word by Word

[{'term''tam', 'definition': 'to him

that person (accusative singular masculine)'}, {'term''uvāca', 'definition': 'said

spoke (perfect of √vac)'}, {'term''gurvartham (guru-artham)', 'definition': 'for the sake of the teacher

as a teacher’s due'}, {'term''kuṇḍalayor arthe', 'definition': 'for the purpose of (obtaining) two earrings (dual genitive/locative sense)'}, {'term': 'abhyāgataḥ asmi', 'definition': 'I have come

I have arrived'}, {'term''kṣatriyayā', 'definition': 'by the kṣatriya woman/queen (instrumental singular)'}, {'term': 'pinaddhe', 'definition': 'fastened, worn, put on (past participle of √nah)'}, {'term': 'kuṇḍale', 'definition': 'earrings (dual)'}, {'term': 'bhavān', 'definition': 'you (honorific pronoun)'}, {'term': 'dātum arhati', 'definition': 'ought to give

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Rāma

King Pauṣya

Pauṣya’s kṣatriya queen (kṣatriyā)

kuṇḍala (earrings)

guru (teacher)

gurudakṣiṇā (teacher’s fee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights dharma as fulfilled through rightful obligation: a disciple must secure the guru’s due (gurudakṣiṇā), and a king is expected to uphold generosity and righteousness even when the request touches what is personally valued.

What is happening in the narrative?

Rāma states that he has come to King Pauṣya to obtain two earrings as a teacher’s fee, specifically demanding the pair worn by the king’s queen, thereby setting up a moral test of the king’s commitment to dharma and dāna.