अनिर्णीय प्रवक्तारं बालः प्रश्नं करोति यः । अधमः पृच्छकः स स्यान्न महार्थस्य भाजनम् ॥ ४८ ॥
anirṇīya pravaktāraṁ bālaḥ praśnaṁ karōti yaḥ | adhamaḥ pṛcchakaḥ sa syānna mahārthasya bhājanam || 48 ||
Translation
But a child who questions without first determining what the teacher is: he is a poor questioner, and no vessel for a great matter.
Word by word
- anirṇīya
- without determining
- pravaktāraṁ
- what the teacher is
- bālaḥ
- a child
- praśnaṁ
- a question
- karōti
- makes
- yaḥ
- who
- adhamaḥ
- poor
- pṛcchakaḥ
- questioner
- sa
- he
- syān
- (syāt) is
- na
- no
- mahārthasya
- for a great matter
- bhājanam
- vessel
Meaning
Bāla, a child: the word describes the one who has not examined, and has nothing to do with age. The commentary takes mahā-artha as the great matter that is knowledge of the Self, and says such a person will not gain it. The reason may be seen in practice. One who will take his teaching from anybody can as easily lose it to anybody, since the first voice to impress him has no more claim on him than the next.