Shloka 20

Devanagari script

आसीनमाश्रमे तत्र जैगीषव्यमपश्यत । न व्याहरति चैवेनं जैगीषव्य: कथंचन

Transliteration

āsīnam āśrame tatra jaigīṣavyam apaśyata | na vyāharati caivainaṃ jaigīṣavyaḥ kathaṃcana ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: Там, сидящего в ашраме, он увидел Джайгишавью (Jaigīṣavya). Но Джайгишавья вовсе не обратился к нему — он оставался совершенно безмолвен. Этот миг подчёркивает аскетическую дисциплину сдержанности в речи: молчание может означать внутреннюю сосредоточенность, отрешённость или намеренное невовлечение, а не невежливость.

Word by Word

आसीनम्seated

आश्रमेin the hermitage

तत्रthere

जैगीषव्यम्Jaigīṣavya (proper name)

अपश्यतsaw

नnot

व्याहरतिspeaks, utters

चand

एवindeed, at all

एनम्him

जैगीषव्यःJaigīṣavya

कथंचनin any way, at all

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Jaigīṣavya

Āśrama (hermitage)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights restraint of speech as an ascetic virtue: silence (mauna) can be a form of discipline and detachment, indicating inward focus and freedom from impulsive engagement.

What is happening in the narrative?

A visitor arrives at a hermitage and sees the sage Jaigīṣavya seated there, but the sage does not speak to him in any manner, maintaining complete silence.