पूर्वापरसमाधानक्षमबुद्धावनिन्दिते । पृष्टं प्राज्ञेन वक्तव्यं नाऽधमे पशुधर्मिणि ॥ ४९ ॥
pūrvāparasamādhānakṣamabuddhāvaninditē | pṛṣṭaṁ prājñēna vaktavyaṁ nā’dhamē paśudharmiṇi || 49 ||
Translation
What is asked should be answered by the wise to one who is blameless and whose understanding can reconcile what comes earlier and later, and not to a low person of an animal's nature.
Word by word
- pūrva
- earlier
- apara
- and later
- samādhāna
- to reconcile
- kṣama
- can
- buddhau
- whose understanding
- aninditē
- to one who is blameless
- pṛṣṭaṁ
- what is asked
- prājñēna
- by the wise
- vaktavyaṁ
- should be answered
- na
- not
- adhamē
- to a low person
- paśu
- of an animal's
- dharmiṇi
- of the nature
Meaning
The tests now turn on the student. Pūrvāpara-samādhāna: the power to resolve an apparent conflict between one passage and another; the commentary says, to examine what has been said and what has not, and to decide. It echoes 2.10.6. Paśu-dharmin, of the nature of a beast: the commentary points to sluggishness and the like. The verse restricts the teaching to protect both sides: such a listener would get no good from it, and the teaching would suffer distortion.