Verse 6.1.2

स ह द्वादशवर्ष उपेत्य चतुर्विंशतिवर्षः सर्वान्वेदानधीत्य महामना अनूचानमानी स्तब्ध एयाय तंह पितोवाच ॥ ६.१.२ ॥

sa ha dvādaśavarṣa upetya caturviṃśativarṣaḥ sarvānvedānadhītya mahāmanā anūcānamānī stabdha eyāya taṃha pitovāca || 6.1.2 ||

2. Śvetaketu went to his teacher’s house at the age of twelve. After studying all the Vedas, he returned home when he was twenty-four, having become very serious and vain, and thinking himself to be a great scholar. [Noticing this,] his father said to him: ‘O Śvetaketu, you have now become very serious and vain, and you think you are a great scholar. But did you ask your teacher for that teaching [about Brahman]—

Word-for-word explanation:

Saḥ ha, he [Śvetaketu]; dvādaśa-varṣaḥ, at the age of twelve; upetya, having gone [to his teacher as directed by his father]; caturviṃśati-varṣaḥ, till he was twenty-four; sarvān vedān adhītya, having studied all the Vedas; eyāya, returned home; mahāmanāḥ, very serious; anūcānamānī, vain; stabdhaḥ, having a high opinion of his scholarship; tam ha pita uvāca, his father said to him; śvetaketo, O Śvetaketu; yat nu idam somya, now young man; mahāmanāḥ asi, you have become very serious; anūcānamānī, vain; stabdhaḥ, thinking yourself to be a great scholar; tam ādeśam, that teaching; aprākṣyaḥ uta, did you ask [your teacher].

Commentary:

Āruṇi must have been disappointed to see Śvetaketu’s manners when he returned home. In order to instil into Śvetaketu the spirit of humility, Āruṇi put a question to him. He wanted to remind his son that scholarship was not the same as Self-knowledge. He also wanted Śvetaketu to understand that unless he knew the secret of Self-knowledge, his education was pointless. This secret of Self-knowledge is ādeśa.