Shloka 23
मैं पूर्वजन्ममें एक श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणका पुत्र और वेदाध्ययनपरायण ब्राह्मण था। वेदांगोंका पारंगत विद्वान् माना जाता था। मैं विद्याध्ययनमें अत्यन्त कुशल था ।। आत्मदोषकृतैब्रह्मन्नवस्थामाप्तवानिमाम् । कश्चिद् राजा मम सखा भर्नुर्वेदपरायण:
ātma-doṣa-kṛtair brahman avasthām āptavān imām | kaścid rājā mama sakhā bhṛṅgur veda-parāyaṇaḥ ||
The hunter said: “O Brāhmaṇa, it is through faults of my own making that I have come to this present condition. A certain king—my friend—named Bhṛṅgu, devoted to the Vedas, was associated with me.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes moral responsibility: one’s present condition can arise from one’s own faults (ātma-doṣa), highlighting karma and self-accountability as central to dharma.
The hunter addresses a Brāhmaṇa and begins explaining his background and how he reached his current state, introducing a connection with a certain king named Bhṛṅgu who is described as devoted to the Vedas.