श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । परिपूर्णमना मान्यः प्रष्टुं जानासि राघव । वेत्सि चोक्तं च तेनाऽहं प्रवृत्तो वक्तुमादरात् ॥ १ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | paripūrṇamanā mānyaḥ praṣṭuṁ jānāsi rāghava | vētsi cōktaṁ ca tēnā’haṁ pravṛttō vaktumādarāt || 1 ||
Translation
Śrī Vasiṣṭha said: Your mind is full, you are worthy of honour, Rāghava. You know how to ask, and you understand what is said. So I have set about speaking, with care.
Word by word
- śrīvasiṣṭha
- Śrī Vasiṣṭha
- uvāca
- said
- paripūrṇa
- full
- manā
- (manāḥ) your mind
- mānyaḥ
- worthy of honour
- praṣṭuṁ
- how to ask
- jānāsi
- you know
- rāghava
- Rāghava
- vētsi
- you understand
- ca
- and
- uktaṁ
- what is said
- tēna
- so
- ahaṁ
- I
- pravṛttō
- (pravṛttaḥ) have set about
- vaktum
- speaking
- ādarāt
- with care
Meaning
The last sarga closed on the question of whether Rāma was truly fit, and this one begins by settling it. The commentary says Vasiṣṭha means to encourage him by showing that he has more than an opened mind: every mark of a questioner is in him. He names two skills. Rāma knows how to ask, and he knows what a reply means. Each is rarer than it looks. Many people ask in order to be told that they are right, and many hear only the part they expected. Ādarāt, with care: Vasiṣṭha's own reverence is engaged, for a good question draws out a good teacher.