न तथा पूर्णता जाता सर्वज्ञानमहानिधेः । तिष्ठतस्तपसि स्फारे पितुस्तव यथा तव ॥ ३९ ॥
na tathā pūrṇatā jātā sarvajñānamahānidhēḥ | tiṣṭhatastapasi sphārē pitustava yathā tava || 39 ||
Translation
Your father, a great treasure of all knowledge, standing in vast austerity, has not reached such fullness as you have.
Word by word
- na
- not
- tathā
- such
- pūrṇatā
- fullness
- jātā
- has reached
- sarva
- of all
- jñāna
- knowledge
- mahānidhēḥ
- a great treasure
- tiṣṭhatas
- (tiṣṭhataḥ) standing
- tapasi
- in austerity
- sphārē
- vast
- pitus
- (pituḥ) father
- tava
- your; you
- yathā
- as
Meaning
Janaka praises Śuka above his own father. Vyāsa is a great ocean of all knowledge and stands in vast austerity (tapasi sphāre); yet his fullness (pūrṇatā) is not like Śuka's. The commentary adds a note: this praise is to make Śuka's conviction firm. It is not a judgement on Vyāsa, who sent his son here on purpose. Janaka says it because Śuka needs to hear that he lacks nothing, and the strongest way to say it is to set him above the teacher he once doubted.