Chapter 1 · Prathamo’dhyāyaḥ (First Chapter)
Verse 42
जानतोऽपि यथाज्ञस्य किमेतन्मुनिसत्तम। अयं च निकृतः पुत्रैर्दारैर्भृत्यैस्तथोज्झितः ॥ ४२ ॥
jānatō’pi yathājñasya kimētanmunisattama | ayaṁ ca nikṛtaḥ putrairdārairbhṛtyaistathōjjhitaḥ || 42 ||
Translation
'O best of sages, what is this? (I feel) like an ignorant person, even though I know (the truth). And this one (the merchant) has been wronged by his sons, wives, and servants, and then abandoned.'
Word by word
- jānataḥ
- of one who knows
- api
- even
- yathājñasya
- like an ignorant person
- kimetat
- what is this?
- munisattama
- O best of sages
- ayaṁ
- this one
- ca
- and
- nikṛtaḥ
- cheated, wronged
- putraiḥ
- by sons
- dāraiḥ
- by wives
- bhṛtyaiḥ
- by servants
- tathā
- and
- ujjhitaḥ
- abandoned
Meaning
The king expresses his bafflement at this paradox of human psychology. He knows logically that his kingdom is gone and the merchant's family is wicked, yet he feels the pain of attachment 'like an ignorant person' (yathājñasya). He includes the merchant's plight to show this is a universal human problem, not just his own.