Shloka 6

Devanagari script

स मार्ममाश्रितो राजन्नृषीणामूर्ध्वरेतसाम्‌ । स्वाध्यायवान्‌ धर्मरतस्तपस्वी विजितेन्द्रिय:

Transliteration

sa mārgam āśrito rājann ṛṣīṇām ūrdhvaretasām | svādhyāyavān dharmaratas tapasvī vijitendriyaḥ ||

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ! അദ്ദേഹം ഊർധ്വരേതാ ഋഷികളുടെ മാർഗമായ ബ്രഹ്മചര്യം ആശ്രയിച്ചു. വേദസ്വാധ്യായത്തിൽ നിരന്തരം ലീനനായി, ധർമ്മാചരണത്തിൽ രതനായി; തപസ്വിയും ഇന്ദ്രിയജയിയും ആയിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'mārga', 'definition': 'path

• disciplined way of life'}, {'term': 'āśrita', 'definition': 'having resorted to

• taking refuge in'}, {'term': 'rājan', 'definition': 'O king (vocative address)'}, {'term': 'ṛṣi', 'definition': 'seer

• sage'}, {'term': 'ūrdhvaretas', 'definition': 'one whose vital energy is directed upward

• a celibate/continent ascetic (brahmacārī ideal)'}, {'term': 'svādhyāya', 'definition': 'Vedic study and recitation

• disciplined self-study'}, {'term': 'svādhyāyavān', 'definition': 'devoted to svādhyāya

• diligent in study'}, {'term': 'dharma-rata', 'definition': 'delighting in dharma

• committed to righteous conduct'}, {'term': 'tapasvī', 'definition': 'ascetic

• practitioner of austerities'}, {'term': 'vijita-indriya', 'definition': 'one who has conquered the senses

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• King (rājan)
• Ṛṣis (sages) of ūrdhvaretas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical strength is grounded in disciplined living: celibate restraint (ūrdhvaretas), steady Vedic study (svādhyāya), commitment to dharma, and mastery over the senses (vijitendriya) culminating in tapas.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a person’s character to the king, emphasizing that he follows the ascetic path of the sages—studying the Veda, practicing dharma, controlling the senses, and performing austerities.