Shloka 29
Rathaghoṣa–Saṃjñāna: Damayantī’s Inference and the Dispatch of the Envoy (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 71)
अथ चेह नलो विद्यां वेत्ति तामेव बाहुक: । तुल्यं हि लक्षये ज्ञानं बाहुकस्य नलस्य च,“राजा नल इस जगत्में जिस विद्याको जानते हैं, उसीको बाहुक भी जानता है। बाहुक और नल दोनोंका ज्ञान मुझे एक-सा दिखायी देता है
atha ceha nalo vidyāṁ vetti tāmeva bāhukaḥ | tulyaṁ hi lakṣaye jñānaṁ bāhukasya nalasya ca ||
Ṛtupārṇa berkata: “Jika Nala mengetahui suatu ilmu di sini, maka Bāhuka pun mengetahui ilmu yang sama. Sebab kupandang pengetahuan Bāhuka dan Nala setara.”
ऋचुपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
True knowledge and capability are intrinsic and can be recognized by the discerning, even when a person’s outer identity is concealed. The verse highlights the ethical insight that worth should be judged by competence and character rather than by name or appearance.
King Ṛtupārṇa observes that Bāhuka’s expertise matches that of King Nala. Since Bāhuka is actually Nala in disguise, the statement foreshadows recognition and underscores that Nala’s royal skill remains intact despite his altered condition.