Shloka 95
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
“वे जो बतावें वही वस्तु उन्हें भेंट करो।' स एवमुक्त उपाध्यायेनोपाध्यायानीमपृच्छद् भगवत्युपाध्यायेनास्म्यनुज्ञातो गृहं गन्तुमिच्छामीष्टं ते गुर्वर्थमुपहत्यानूणो गन्तुमिति,तदाज्ञापयतु भवती किमुपाहरामि गुर्वर्थमिति । उपाध्यायके ऐसा कहनेपर उत्तंकने गुरुपत्नीसे पूछा--'देवि! उपाध्यायने मुझे घर जानेकी आज्ञा दी है, अतः मैं आपको कोई अभीष्ट वस्तु गुरुदक्षिणाके रूपमें भेंट करके गुरुके ऋणसे उऋण होकर जाना चाहता हूँ
“ye yo batāveṃ vahī vastu unheṃ bheṇṭa karo.” sa evam ukta upādhyāyena upādhyāyānīm apṛcchat—“bhagavaty upādhyāyena asmi anujñāto gṛhaṃ gantum icchāmi; iṣṭaṃ te gurvartham upahṛtya anūṇo gantum iti. tad ājñāpayatu bhavatī—kim upaharāmi gurvartham iti.”
“Whatever she tells you—offer her that very thing.” Thus instructed by his teacher, Uttanka approached the teacher’s wife and said: “Revered lady, my teacher has permitted me to return home. Yet I wish to depart only after presenting something you desire as the teacher’s fee, so that I may leave free of debt. Please command me—what shall I bring as the guru’s due?” The passage highlights the ethic that learning is completed not merely by receiving instruction, but by honoring one’s obligations with humility and consent.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
A student should not treat learning as a mere transaction; he should complete his education by honoring the guru through respectful service or an appropriate offering (guru-dakṣiṇā), seeking consent and guidance rather than acting presumptuously.
After being allowed to return home, Uttanka asks the teacher’s wife what he should bring as the guru’s due, so that he may depart ‘free of debt’—showing deference to both the teacher’s instruction and the household’s wishes.