Shloka 79
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स तथेत्युक्त्वा गुरुकुले दीर्घकालं गुरुशुश्रूषणपरो 5वसदू गौरिव नित्यं गुरुणा धूर्ष नियोज्यमान: शीतोष्ण क्षुत्तृष्णादुःखसह: सर्वत्राप्रतिकूलस्तस्य महता कालेन गुरु: परितोष॑ जगाम,वेद “बहुत अच्छा” कहकर गुरुके घरमें रहने लगे। उन्होंने दीर्घकालतक गुरुकी सेवा की। गुरुजी उन्हें बैलकी तरह सदा भारी बोझ ढोनेमें लगाये रखते थे और वेद सरदी-गरमी तथा भूख-प्यासका कष्ट सहन करते हुए सभी अवस्थाओंमें गुरुके अनुकूल ही रहते थे। इस प्रकार जब बहुत समय बीत गया, तब गुरुजी उनपर पूर्णतः संतुष्ट हुए
sa tathety uktvā gurukule dīrghakālaṃ guruśuśrūṣaṇaparo vasad, gaur iva nityaṃ guruṇā dhurṣi niyojyamānaḥ; śītoṣṇa-kṣut-tṛṣṇā-duḥkha-sahaḥ sarvatrāpratikūlas tasya mahatā kālena guruḥ paritoṣaṃ jagāma.
Saying, “So be it,” he stayed in the teacher’s household for a long time, wholly devoted to serving his preceptor. Like an ox, he was continually made by the guru to bear heavy burdens; yet he endured cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and other hardships, remaining agreeable and never resistant in any circumstance. After a great length of time, the teacher became fully satisfied with him—showing that disciplined service, patience, and humility are the ethical foundations of learning.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Learning is grounded in dharma: sustained service to the teacher, humility, and patient endurance of hardship (cold/heat, hunger/thirst) cultivate character, making one fit to receive knowledge and earn the guru’s satisfaction.
The speaker describes a student who agrees to stay in the guru’s household and serves for a long time, repeatedly assigned heavy labor like an ox. By remaining non-resistant and enduring discomfort, he eventually wins the teacher’s full approval.