Śokanivāraṇa: Non-brooding, Impermanence, Contentment, and Śuka’s Renunciation
सनत्कुमार उवाच । अशोकं शोकनाशार्थं शास्त्रं शांतिकरं शिवम् । निशम्य लभ्यते बुद्धिर्लब्धायां सुखमेधते ॥ १ ॥
sanatkumāra uvāca | aśokaṃ śokanāśārthaṃ śāstraṃ śāṃtikaraṃ śivam | niśamya labhyate buddhirlabdhāyāṃ sukhamedhate || 1 ||
സനത്കുമാരൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ശോകനാശത്തിനായുള്ള, ശോകരഹിതവും ശാന്തികരവും മംഗളകരവും ആയ ഈ ശാസ്ത്രം ശ്രവിച്ചാൽ സത്യബുദ്ധി ലഭിക്കുന്നു; ബുദ്ധി ലഭിച്ചാൽ സുഖം ക്രമേണ വർധിക്കുന്നു।
Sanatkumara
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
It teaches that attentive listening to an auspicious, peace-producing śāstra destroys grief and gives rise to buddhi (true discernment), after which lasting happiness naturally increases.
It highlights śravaṇa (hearing sacred teaching), a core limb of Bhakti practice; by listening with faith and attention, the heart becomes शांत (peaceful), wisdom dawns, and one’s inner joy deepens.
The verse emphasizes the practical discipline of śravaṇa—systematic hearing and retention of śāstra—an essential foundation for Vedic learning (supported by Vedāṅga methods like correct recitation and comprehension), even though no single Vedāṅga is named explicitly.