Shloka 7

जपयोगयोः तुल्यफलनिर्णयः

Adhyāya 193: Adjudication of the Comparable Fruits of Japa and Yoga

Devanagari script

भरद्वाज उवाच अस्माल्लोकात्‌ परो लोक: श्रूयते नोपलभ्यते । तमहं ज्ञातुमिच्छामि तद्‌ भवान्‌ वक्तुमहति

Transliteration

bharadvāja uvāca | asmāl lokāt paro lokaḥ śrūyate nopalabhyate | tam ahaṃ jñātum icchāmi tad bhavān vaktum arhati ||

Translation

Bharadvāja thưa: “Bạch ngài Bà-la-môn! Người ta nghe rằng vượt ngoài thế gian này còn có một thế giới khác cao hơn, nhưng không thể trực tiếp thấy được. Con muốn hiểu điều ấy; xin ngài từ bi giảng cho con.”

Word by Word

• {'asmāt (lokāt)': 'from this (world)', 'lokaḥ': 'world

• realm of experience/existence', 'paraḥ': 'beyond

• transcendent', 'śrūyate': 'is heard of

• is taught in tradition', 'na upalabhyate (nopalabhyate)': 'is not perceived/obtained

• is not directly apprehended', 'tam': 'that (world/realm)', 'aham': 'I', 'jñātum': 'to know

• to understand', 'icchāmi': 'I desire

• I wish', 'tad': 'that

• that matter', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'vaktum': 'to speak

• to explain', 'arhati': 'is worthy/fit

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bharadvāja

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a classical dharmic inquiry: some truths (like the ‘higher world’ or paraloka) are known through reliable testimony and disciplined understanding rather than direct sensory perception. It legitimizes seeking guidance from a qualified teacher to bridge the gap between what is ‘heard’ (śrūyate) and what is ‘seen’ (upalabhyate).

What is happening in the narrative?

In a teacher–student style exchange within the Śānti Parva, the sage Bharadvāja respectfully asks an authoritative speaker to explain the existence and nature of a higher realm beyond the visible world, since it is taught in tradition but not directly perceived.