Shloka 63

अध्याय ३५१ — उञ्छवृत्ति-व्रतसिद्धेः मानुषस्य परमगतिः

Sūrya–Nāga Dialogue on the Perfected Gleaner-Ascetic

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच एष ते कथित: पूर्व सम्भवो<स्मद्गुरोर्न॒प । व्यासस्याक्लिष्टमनसो यथा पृष्ट: पुनः शूणु

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: eṣa te kathitaḥ pūrvaṃ sambhavo ’smad-guror nṛpa, Vyāsasyākliṣṭa-manaso yathā pṛṣṭaḥ; punaḥ śṛṇu.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : « Ô roi, selon la question que tu m’as posée, j’ai déjà rapporté l’ancien récit de la naissance et de l’origine de notre maître Vyāsa, dont l’esprit était sans tourment. Écoute maintenant la suite, car je vais poursuivre avec les choses suivantes. »

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'वैशम्पायन उवाच (Vaiśampāyana uvāca)', 'definition': 'Vaiśampāyana said (narrative frame marker)'}, {'term': 'एष (eṣa)', 'definition': 'this (account/statement)'}, {'term': 'ते (te)', 'definition': 'to you / for you'}, {'term': 'कथितः (kathitaḥ)', 'definition': 'told, narrated'}, {'term': 'पूर्वम् (pūrvam)', 'definition': 'previously, earlier'}, {'term': 'सम्भवः (sambhavaḥ)', 'definition': 'origin, birth, coming-into-being

• life-account'}, {'term': 'अस्मद्गुरोः (asmad-guroḥ)', 'definition': 'of our teacher (genitive)'}, {'term': 'नृप (nṛpa)', 'definition': 'O king'}, {'term': 'व्यासस्य (Vyāsasya)', 'definition': 'of Vyāsa'}, {'term': 'अक्लिष्टमनसः (ākliṣṭa-manasaḥ)', 'definition': 'whose mind is untroubled/undistressed

• free from affliction'}, {'term': 'यथा (yathā)', 'definition': 'as, according to how'}, {'term': 'पृष्टः (pṛṣṭaḥ)', 'definition': 'asked, questioned'}, {'term': 'पुनः (punaḥ)', 'definition': 'again, further, next'}, {'term': 'शृणु (śṛṇu)', 'definition': 'listen (imperative)'}]

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Vyāsa
• nṛpa (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined transmission of sacred history: the listener’s question guides the teacher’s narration, and the teacher emphasizes the exemplary inner steadiness (ākliṣṭa-manas) of Vyāsa, implying that true authority in dharma is grounded in clarity and freedom from mental affliction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana marks a transition: he says he has already recounted the earlier origin story of his teacher Vyāsa as requested by the king, and he now invites the king to listen as he proceeds to the next portion of the discourse.