Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अहं हि ब्राह्मण: पूर्वमासं द्विजवरात्मज: । वेदाध्यायी सुकुशलो वेदाज़्ानां च पारग:

Transliteration

ahaṁ hi brāhmaṇaḥ pūrvam āsaṁ dvijavarātmajaḥ | vedādhyāyī sukuśalo vedajñānāṁ ca pāragaḥ ||

Translation

Người thợ săn nói: “Thuở trước, ta quả thật là một Bà-la-môn, con trai của một bậc nhị sinh ưu tú. Ta chuyên cần học Veda, rất thành thạo, và đã vượt đến bờ bên kia của tri thức Veda.”

Word by Word

अहम्I

हिindeed/for

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin

पूर्वम्formerly/before

आसम्I was

द्विजवरात्मजःson of an excellent Brahmin

वेदाध्यायीa student/reciter of the Veda

सुकुशलःvery skilled/proficient

वेदाज्ञानाम्of those who know the Veda

चand

पारगःone who has gone to the far shore; master/expert

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

व्याध (the hunter, speaker)

ब

ब्राह्मण (brāhmaṇa)

द

द्विजवर (excellent twice-born father/lineage)

व

वेद (the Vedas)

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 that social identity and past learning do not by themselves guarantee righteousness; a person’s life can change dramatically, and true worth is measured by conduct and adherence to dharma rather than mere birth or scholarship.

What is happening in the narrative?

The hunter begins an autobiographical account, explaining that he was once a well-trained brāhmaṇa and Vedic scholar. This sets up the moral contrast and prepares the listener for how he came to his present condition and what ethical insight he has gained.