श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । आर्यसंगमयुक्त्यादौ प्रज्ञां वृद्धिं नयेद्बलात् । ततो महापुरुषतां महापुरुषलक्षणैः ॥ १ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | āryasaṁgamayuktyādau prajñāṁ vṛddhiṁ nayēdbalāt | tatō mahāpuruṣatāṁ mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇaiḥ || 1 ||
Translation
Vasiṣṭha said: First, by the means that come from the company of the noble, one should make understanding grow, with determination; then greatness, by the marks of the great.
Word by word
- śrī
- the venerable
- vasiṣṭha
- Vasiṣṭha
- uvāca
- said
- ārya
- of the noble
- saṁgama
- the company
- yukti
- by the means
- ādau
- first
- prajñāṁ
- understanding
- vṛddhiṁ
- grow (to growth)
- nayēd
- one should make
- balāt
- with determination
- tatō
- (tataḥ) then
- mahāpuruṣatāṁ
- greatness
- mahāpuruṣa
- of the great
- lakṣaṇaiḥ
- by the marks
Meaning
The commentary opens by placing the sarga: the knowledge just described lives only in the great, not in others, and what makes one great is the good conduct now to be described. So Vasiṣṭha begins on conduct. The order is plain: first understanding, grown through the teaching, example, training and reasoning one receives in noble company; then greatness, made one's own by the marks of the great that follow. "With determination" (balāt) says this is not left to chance. One makes it grow.