श्रीदेव्युवाच वित्तवेषवयःकर्मविद्याविभवचेष्टितैः । वसिष्ठस्यैव सदृशो न तु वासिष्ठचेष्टितः ॥ १ ॥
śrīdēvyuvāca vittavēṣavayaḥkarmavidyāvibhavacēṣṭitaiḥ | vasiṣṭhasyaiva sadṛśō na tu vāsiṣṭhacēṣṭitaḥ || 1 ||
Translation
The goddess said: In wealth, dress, age, work, learning, means and conduct he was like Vasiṣṭha himself, but not in the conduct of Vasiṣṭha.
Word by word
- vitta
- in wealth
- vēṣa
- dress
- vayaḥ
- age
- karma
- work
- vidyā
- learning
- vibhava
- means
- cēṣṭitaiḥ
- and conduct
- vasiṣṭhasya
- Vasiṣṭha
- ēva
- himself
- sadṛśō
- (sadṛśaḥ) like
- na
- not
- tu
- but
- vāsiṣṭha
- of Vasiṣṭha
- cēṣṭitaḥ
- in the conduct
Meaning
The commentary heads the sarga: by telling the former life of Padma's creation, it describes the brahmin's sight of a king and his birth through the firm resolve to rule. The goddess said: in wealth, dress, age, work, learning and means that brahmin was just like Vasiṣṭha, but not in the work of the Ikṣvāku family priest, the teaching of Rāma and the rest. The listener in the frame is Rāma, hearing from Vasiṣṭha of another Vasiṣṭha: the likeness is outward, the difference is knowledge.