Shloka 15
Adhyāya 39 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on attachment (saṅga) and relational restraint
अपि च ज्ञानसम्पन्न: सर्वान् वेदान् पितुर्गृहि । श्लाघमान इवाधीयादू ग्राम्य इत्येव त॑ विदु:,जो सम्पूर्ण वेदोंको पिताके घरमें रहकर पढ़ता है वह ज्ञानसम्पन्न और प्रशंसनीय होनेपर भी दिद्वानोंके द्वारा ग्रामीण (गँवार) ही समझा जाता है। (वास्तवमें गुरुके घरमें क्लेश-सहनपूर्वक रहकर वेद पढ़नेवाला ही श्रेष्ठ है)
api ca jñāna-sampannaḥ sarvān vedān pitur gṛhe | ślāghamāna ivādhīyād grāmya ity eva taṃ viduḥ ||
Moreover, even if a man is endowed with knowledge and studies all the Vedas while remaining in his father’s house—appearing as though he were worthy of praise—learned people still regard him as merely ‘rustic’. The ethical point implied is that true excellence in Vedic learning is associated with disciplined studentship under a teacher, enduring hardship in the guru’s household, rather than comfortable study at home.
सोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vedic learning is not measured only by the amount studied, but by the disciplined mode of study: true refinement comes from brahmacarya under a guru, with humility and hardship, not from comfortable study at one’s parental home.
Soma states a social-ethical judgment about education: even a knowledgeable person who studies the Vedas at his father’s house is still labeled ‘grāmya’ by the learned, implying that proper training requires residence and service in the teacher’s household.