Shloka 2

अष्टावक्र-प्रवेशः तथा ब्रह्मोद्य-प्रारम्भः

Aṣṭāvakra’s Entry and the Opening of the Brahmodya

Devanagari script

साक्षादत्र श्वेतकेतुर्ददर्श सरस्वती मानुषदेहरूपाम्‌ | वेत्स्यामि वाणीमिति सम्प्रवृत्तां सरस्वती श्वेतकेतुर्बभाषे,इस आश्रममें श्वेतकेतुने मानवरूपधारिणी सरस्वती देवीका प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन किया था और अपने निकट आयी हुई उन सरस्वतीसे यह कहा था कि “मैं वाणीस्वरूपा आपके तत्त्वको यथार्थरूपसे जानना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

sākṣād atra śvetaketur dadarśa sarasvatīṃ mānuṣa-deha-rūpām | vetsyāmi vāṇīm iti sampravṛttāṃ sarasvatīṃ śvetaketur babhāṣe |

Translation

Lomāśa berkata: “Di pertapaan ini, Śvetaketu menyaksikan langsung Dewi Sarasvatī yang mengambil rupa manusia. Ketika beliau mendekat, Śvetaketu berkata kepada Sarasvatī, ‘Wahai Vāk, wujud sabda suci, aku ingin memahami hakikatmu yang sejati.’”

Word by Word

• {'sākṣāt': 'directly, in person, before one’s eyes', 'atra': 'here, in this place (this hermitage)', 'śvetaketuḥ': 'Śvetaketu (a sage/learned figure)', 'dadarśa': 'saw, beheld', 'sarasvatīm': 'Sarasvatī (goddess of speech, learning

• also a sacred river)', 'mānuṣa-deha-rūpām': 'having the form of a human body

• in human guise', 'vetsyāmi': 'I shall know

• I wish to ascertain/understand', 'vāṇīm (vāk)': 'speech

• the principle of language/voice', 'iti': 'thus (quotative marker)', 'sampravṛttām': 'set in motion

• having approached/advanced', 'babhāṣe': 'spoke

Speaker

लोगमश उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Śvetaketu
• Sarasvatī
• Āśrama (hermitage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights reverent inquiry into Vāk (sacred speech) as a divine principle. Ethically, it suggests that true knowledge begins with humility, direct seeking, and respect for the power of speech—speech that can uphold dharma when understood and used rightly.

What is happening in the narrative?

Lomaśa narrates that in this hermitage Śvetaketu had a direct vision of Sarasvatī in human form. As she approached, he addressed her, expressing his desire to know her true nature as Vāk, indicating a seeker’s approach to divine knowledge.