Shloka 45

Kṛṣṇasya Dvārakā-praveśaḥ — Krishna’s Return to Dvārakā and the Raivataka Festival

Devanagari script

उत्तड़्क उवाच कथं भवन्तं जानीयामुपाध्यायाश्रमं प्रति । यन्मया चीर्णपूर्व हि श्रोतुमिच्छामि तद्ध्यहम्‌

Transliteration

Uttaṅka uvāca: kathaṁ bhavantaṁ jānīyām upādhyāyāśramaṁ prati | yan mayā cīrṇa-pūrvaṁ hi śrotum icchāmi tad dhi aham ||

Translation

Uttanka thưa: “Làm sao con có thể nhận ra ngài, xét theo mối liên hệ với ẩn viện của thầy con? Và theo lời ngài, việc gì là việc con đã từng làm nhiều lần ở đó trước kia? Xin cho con được nghe cho tường tận.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'उत्तङ्क (Uttaṅka)', 'definition': 'Name of the sage-disciple

• the speaker here'}, {'term': 'उवाच (uvāca)', 'definition': 'said, spoke'}, {'term': 'कथम् (katham)', 'definition': 'how?, in what way?'}, {'term': 'भवन्तम् (bhavantam)', 'definition': 'you (honorific accusative singular)'}, {'term': 'जानीयाम् (jānīyām)', 'definition': 'may I know/recognize (optative

• expressing doubt/inquiry)'}, {'term': 'उपाध्याय (upādhyāya)', 'definition': 'teacher, preceptor'}, {'term': 'आश्रम (āśrama)', 'definition': 'hermitage

• a place of disciplined life and learning'}, {'term': 'प्रति (prati)', 'definition': 'towards, with reference to, in relation to'}, {'term': 'यत् (yat)', 'definition': 'that which'}, {'term': 'मया (mayā)', 'definition': 'by me'}, {'term': 'चीर्णपूर्वम् (cīrṇa-pūrvam)', 'definition': 'done/practiced previously'}, {'term': 'हि (hi)', 'definition': 'indeed, for'}, {'term': 'श्रोतुम् (śrotum)', 'definition': 'to hear'}, {'term': 'इच्छामि (icchāmi)', 'definition': 'I wish, I desire'}, {'term': 'तत् (tat)', 'definition': 'that'}, {'term': 'धि/हि (dhi/hi)', 'definition': 'emphatic particle

• here reinforcing the request'}, {'term': 'अहम् (aham)', 'definition': 'I'}]

Speaker

उत्तड़्क उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Uttaṅka
• Upādhyāya (teacher/preceptor)
• Āśrama (hermitage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the disciple’s humility and careful inquiry: true learning in the guru–śiṣya tradition involves seeking clarity, verifying claims, and understanding one’s prior duties and practices in the teacher’s hermitage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Uttaṅka addresses another speaker and asks how he can be sure of that person’s connection to his teacher’s hermitage, and he requests an explanation of the specific act or duty that he is said to have performed there earlier.