Shloka 24

Arjuna’s request to Krishna and the opening of the Kāśyapa–Brāhmaṇa mokṣa discourse (Āśvamedhika-parva 16)

Devanagari script

सम्भाषमाणमेकान्ते समासीनं च तै: सह । यद्च्छया च गच्छन्तमसक्त पवन यथा

Transliteration

sambhāṣamāṇam ekānte samāsīnaṃ ca taiḥ saha | yadṛcchayā ca gacchantam asaktaṃ pavanaṃ yathā ||

Translation

婆罗门说道：“我见他与众人私下交谈，同他们并坐；又见他随缘往来——无所系著，如风一般。他的行止不恋于同伴、不执于处所、不求于果报，显出一种不依境缘的内在自在。”

Word by Word

• सम्भाषमाणम्: speaking/conversing
• सम्भाषमाणम्: कर्म
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-भाष् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एकान्ते: in private, in solitude
• एकान्ते: अधिकारण
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• समासीनम्: seated
• समासीनम्: कर्म
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (भूतकृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तैः: with them / by them
• तैः: करण
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

• यदृच्छया: by chance, accidentally
• यदृच्छया: करण
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदृच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गच्छन्तम्: going, walking
• गच्छन्तम्: कर्म
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (वर्तमान कृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• असक्तम्: unattached, not clinging
• असक्तम्: कर्म
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असक्त (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पवनः: wind
• पवनः: कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यथा: as, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (speaker)
• पवन (wind, as simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical ideal of asakti (non-attachment): one may speak, sit with others, or move about, yet remain inwardly free—like the wind that touches many places without being bound to any.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa reports an observation of a person’s behavior: he is seen conversing privately and sitting with a group, and also wandering spontaneously. The point is to characterize him as unattached and unpossessive in his movements and associations.