Shloka 46

Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)

Devanagari script

वायुदेव उवाच अहं गुरुर्महाबाहो मन: शिष्यं च विद्धि मे । त्वत्प्रीत्या गुह्ममेतच्च कथितं ते धनंजय

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca | ahaṃ gurur mahābāho manaḥ śiṣyaṃ ca viddhi me | tvatprītyā guhyaṃ etac ca kathitaṃ te dhanaṃjaya |

Translation

Vāyudeva nói: “Hỡi người dũng mãnh, hãy biết rằng ta chính là bậc thầy, và chính tâm của ta là người đệ tử. Hỡi Dhanañjaya, vì lòng thương mến dành cho ngươi, ta đã tiết lộ giáo pháp bí mật này cho ngươi.”

Word by Word

• {'vāyudevaḥ': 'the Wind-god

• deity presiding over vāyu (wind, vital force)', 'uvāca': 'said

• spoke', 'aham': 'I', 'guruḥ': 'teacher

• spiritual preceptor', 'mahābāho': 'O mighty-armed one (epithet of Arjuna)', 'manaḥ': 'mind

• inner faculty of thought and intention', 'śiṣyam': 'disciple

• student', 'viddhi': 'know

• understand (imperative)', 'me': 'of me

• my', 'tvatprītyā': 'out of affection for you

• because of your dear regard', 'guhyam': 'secret

• confidential doctrine', 'etat': 'this', 'kathitam': 'told

• narrated', 'te': 'to you', 'dhanaṃjaya': 'O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna, ‘conqueror of wealth’)'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya, Mahābāhu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames inner mastery as the heart of instruction: the true ‘disciple’ is the mind, which must be trained and guided. The teacher’s authority is presented as rooted in a higher principle (Vāyudeva), and the teaching is marked as ‘guhya’—meant for a worthy recipient and to be applied ethically through self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Ashvamedhika context, Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna directly, revealing a confidential doctrine. He emphasizes the intimacy and responsibility of transmission—he speaks because of affection for Arjuna, and he defines the pedagogical relationship in an inward way: teacherhood culminates in disciplining the mind.