Shloka 25

Devanagari script

कं भवत्यै प्रयच्छामि गुर्वर्थ विनियुड्धक्ष्य माम्‌ । प्रियं हितं च काड्क्षामि प्राणैरपि धनैरपि,“माताजी! मुझे आज्ञा दीजिये, मैं गुरुदक्षिणामें आपको क्या दूँ? अपना धन और प्राण देकर भी मैं आपका प्रिय एवं हित करना चाहता हूँ

Transliteration

kaṃ bhavatyai prayacchāmi gurvarthaṃ viniyuddhakṣya mām | priyaṃ hitaṃ ca kāṅkṣāmi prāṇair api dhanair api ||

Translation

โคตมะกล่าวว่า “แม่เจ้า ข้าพเจ้าควรถวายสิ่งใดเป็นครูทักษิณา? โปรดมีบัญชาเถิด ข้าพเจ้าปรารถนาจะกระทำสิ่งที่เป็นที่รักและเป็นประโยชน์แก่ท่าน แม้ต้องแลกด้วยชีวิตหรือด้วยทรัพย์สินทั้งหมดก็ตาม”

Word by Word

कम्what (thing)

भवत्यैto you (lady/mother)

प्रयच्छामिI give / I offer

गुरु-अर्थम्for the teacher’s purpose (as guru-fee)

विनियुद्धक्ष्येI shall fight/strive (undertake effort)

माम्me

प्रियम्what is pleasing / dear (act/thing)

हितम्what is beneficial

चand

काङ्क्षामिI desire / I wish

प्राणैःwith (my) lives / even by (my) life

अपिeven

धनैःwith wealth / by wealth

अपिeven

Speaker

गौतम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Gautama

Guru (teacher)

Bhavatī (addressed lady/mother figure)

Guru-dakṣiṇā (teacher’s fee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

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 the disciple’s dharma: gratitude and service to the teacher, seeking not merely what is pleasing (priya) but also what is truly beneficial (hita), even at personal cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

Gautama addresses a revered lady/motherly figure connected with his instruction and asks what he should give as guru-dakṣiṇā, declaring readiness to offer wealth or even life to fulfill what she deems right.