Shloka 25
Keśinī’s Inquiry to Bāhuka and the Emotional Signs of Concealed Identity (केशिन्याः बाहुकपरीक्षा)
अत्यद्भुतमिदं राजन् दृष्टवानस्मि ते बलम् | श्रोतुमिच्छामि तां विद्यां ययैतज्ज्ञायते नूप,“राजन्! आपमें गणितकी यह अद्भुत शक्ति मैंने देखी है। नराधिप! जिस विद्यासे यह गिनती जान ली जाती है, उसे मैं सुनना चाहता हूँ।' राजा तुरंत जानेके लिये उत्सुक थे, अतः उन्होंने बाहुकसे कहा--“तुम मुझे द्यूत-विद्याका मर्मज्ञ और गणितमें अत्यन्त निपुण समझो'
bṛhadaśva uvāca | atyadbhutam idaṃ rājan dṛṣṭavān asmi te balam | śrotum icchāmi tāṃ vidyāṃ yayaitaj jñāyate nṛpa ||
Ó rei, testemunhei em ti um poder assombroso: tua força no cálculo. Ó senhor dos homens, desejo ouvir a ciência pela qual se compreende tal contagem.
बृहदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights respect for specialized knowledge (vidyā) and the humility to inquire: even a learned speaker acknowledges another’s excellence and seeks to learn the method behind an impressive skill.
Bṛhadaśva addresses the king, expressing amazement at the king’s remarkable ability in counting/calculation and asking to be taught the specific knowledge by which such computation is known.