राजविद्या राजगुह्यमध्यात्मज्ञानमुत्तमम् । ज्ञात्वा राघव राजानः परां निर्दुःखतां गताः ॥ १८ ॥
rājavidyā rājaguhyamadhyātmajñānamuttamam | jñātvā rāghava rājānaḥ parāṁ nirduḥkhatāṁ gatāḥ || 18 ||
Translation
Having known the royal knowledge, the royal secret, the highest knowledge of the Self, kings came, Rāghava, to the supreme state free of sorrow.
Word by word
- rājavidyā
- the royal knowledge
- rājaguhyam
- the royal secret
- adhyātma
- of the Self
- jñānam
- knowledge
- uttamam
- highest
- jñātvā
- having known
- rāghava
- Rāghava
- rājānaḥ
- kings
- parāṁ
- to the supreme
- nirduḥkhatāṁ
- state free of sorrow
- gatāḥ
- came
Meaning
These words echo the Bhagavad Gītā (9.2), where Kṛṣṇa calls his teaching rājavidyā, rājaguhyam. The commentary says only that the knowledge is famous by these names. The result is stated in strong terms: parāṁ nirduḥkhatām, the supreme absence of sorrow, and the commentary adds that no trace of pain remained in them. Vasiṣṭha is describing rulers. The state he names was reached by people in office, and that is what he wants Rāma to hear.