Shloka 44

Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)

Devanagari script

मातापितृभ्यां शुश्रूषु: सत्यवादी जितेन्द्रिय:,मिथिलामें एक व्याध रहता है, जो माता-पिताका सेवक, सत्यवादी और जितेन्द्रिय है, वह तुम्हें धर्मका उपदेश करेगा। द्विजश्रेष्ठ! तुम अपनी रुचिके अनुसार वहीं जाओ, तुम्हारा मंगल हो

Transliteration

mātāpitṛbhyāṃ śuśrūṣuḥ satyavādī jitendriyaḥ | mithilāyāṃ ekaḥ vyādhaḥ vasati, yaḥ mātā-pitṛ-sevakaḥ satyavādī ca jitendriyaś ca | sa te dharmam upadekṣyati | dvijaśreṣṭha! tvaṃ yathāruci tatraiva gaccha; te maṅgalaṃ bhavatu ||

Translation

O brāhmaṇa disse: “Em Mithilā vive um caçador, devotado a servir sua mãe e seu pai, veraz na fala e senhor de seus sentidos. Ele te instruirá no dharma. Ó melhor dos duas-vezes-nascidos, vai até lá como te parecer—que o bem te aconteça.”

Word by Word

• माता: mother
• माता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पितृभ्याम्: by/with the two fathers (i.e., parents)
• पितृभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• शुश्रूषुः: one who is devoted to service (attentive)
• शुश्रूषुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुश्रूषु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सत्यवादी: truth-speaking
• सत्यवादी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यवादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जितेन्द्रियः: one who has conquered the senses
• जितेन्द्रियः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जितेन्द्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (speaker)
• व्याध (hunter)
• माता
• पिता
• मिथिला

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is grounded in truthfulness, self-mastery, and devoted service to one’s parents; genuine ethical authority can reside even in someone of a socially humble occupation, such as a hunter.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin directs the inquirer to travel to Mithilā to meet a hunter renowned for serving his parents and living truthfully with controlled senses, assuring that this hunter will provide instruction on dharma.