Shloka 79

Devanagari script

त्रैविद्यवृद्धा: शुचयो वृत्तवन्तो मनस्विन: । गुरुशुश्रूषवो दान्ता: शिष्टाचारा भवन्त्युत,'जो तीनों वेदोंके विद्वानोंमें श्रेष्ठ, पवित्र, सदाचारी, मनस्वी, गुरुसेवक और जितेन्द्रिय हैं, वे शिष्टाचारी कहे जाते हैं

Transliteration

traividyavṛddhāḥ śucayo vṛttavanto manasvinaḥ | guruśuśrūṣavo dāntāḥ śiṣṭācārā bhavanty uta ||

Translation

Người thợ săn nói: Những ai đứng đầu trong hàng người thông hiểu ba bộ Veda—hạnh kiểm thanh tịnh, sống đúng đạo, ý chí kiên định, tận tụy phụng sự thầy, và tự chế—thì quả thật được gọi là bậc có phong thái tao nhã và nề nếp mẫu mực.

Word by Word

त्रैविद्यवृद्धाःadvanced/excellent in the three Vedas

शुचयःpure

वृत्तवन्तःof good conduct

मनस्विनःhigh-minded, resolute

गुरुशुश्रूषवःdesirous of serving the teacher

दान्ताःself-controlled

शिष्टाचाराःwell-mannered; following the conduct of the learned

भवन्तिare/become

उतand; also

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyādha (the hunter)

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?

True refinement (śiṣṭācāra) is defined not merely by learning, but by purity, ethical conduct, mental steadiness, devoted service to one’s teacher, and self-restraint—virtues that make knowledge transformative and socially beneficial.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vyādha’s discourse on dharma in the Vana Parva, he explains to his listener what qualifies a person as truly ‘cultured’ or exemplary, listing the traits that mark genuine moral authority.