Fourth Adhyaya, Second Khanda (5 mantras)

Mantra 4.2.1.

1. Therefore Jānaśruti Pautrāyaṇa having taken six hundred cows, a necklace, and a carriage drawn by a pair of mules, went to Raikva and addressed him thus.—242.

[Note.—Aśvatarīratham (Aśvatarīratha)—a mule-chariot, a carriage drawn by a pair of mules. All these were taken by the king as presents for Raikva.]

Mantra 4.2.2.

2. O Raikva; these six hundred cows, this pearl necklace, this carriage with mules (are your fee). Teach me, O Master, that deity which you worship.—243.

Mantra 4.2.3.

[Note.—Hāretvā—it is a compound of hāra + itvā; “hāra” means “the necklace”; and “itvā” = “carriage.” The Visarga of hāraḥ is elided anomalously.]

3. The other replied, “Fie! the necklace and the carriage, O Śūdra! be thine, even together with, the cows.” Then Jānaśruti Pautrāyaṇa taking again a thousand cows, a pearl necklace, a carriage yoked with a pair of mules, and his daughter went back to that (place where Raikva was).”—244.

Mantra 4.2.4.

4. The king said to him, “Raikva! these one thousand cows, this pearl necklace, this carriage drawn by a pair of mules, this wife, and this village in which thou dwellest (are thy fee). Teach me, O Master.”—245.

Note.—When Raikva declined at first, the Sūdra king made the natural mistake, for a man of his caste, that the presents were perhaps too small and so the sage had refused to teach. So he came back with a larger gift and brought his daughter even to be given in marriage to the saint. This was another mistake. The attraction of women is the greatest perhaps, but Raikva had transcended this stage. All that he wanted was a smart servant to drag him about in his car and scratch his itches. Seeing that the king had not anticipated his wants, but was offering him things which were perfectly useless to him, Raikva naturally became annoyed, and tauntingly remarked as follows.

Mantra 4.2.5.

5. He looked for a while at her face, and said (to the king), “Take away these (gifts) o Śūdra! Thinkest thou to speak with me through this means.” (Then the king-served Raikva as a pupil, and he being pleased) told (the secret) to him. These are the Raikvaparṇa villages in the land of the Mahāvṛṣas (Kashmir) where Raikva dwelt in order to teach him.—246.

[Note.—Ālapayiṣyathā—thou wantest to learn, to make my acquaintance. Without serving the teacher, thou wishest to become intimate with him by means (mukha) of these gifts alone. The king then propitiated the sage by serving him as a pupil. Raikva being pleased with the service, then said to him the secret doctrine, as taught in the next khaṇḍa. The phrase “tasmai sa ha uvāca” must be read here.]

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

Raikva angrily addresses Jānaśruti twice as O Śūdra! Jānaśruti Pautrāyaṇa was not, however, a Śūdra but a Kṣatriya by caste. Why was he then addressed as Śūdra? The Commentator answers it thus:

The word Śūdra here means one who is overpowered (dra) with sorrow (śuc). (The king was overwhelmed with grief at not knowing the secret of Raikva’s popularity.)

Moreover, Pautrayaṇa was a king (and could not have been a Śūdra by caste). Thus we find in the Padma Purāṇa:—The king Pautrāyaṇa being overcome with grief was addressed as Śūdra by the sage. He learnt the Prāṇa-Vidyā from the sage and attained the highest merit.”

Note.—This is the conventional explanation of the word Śūdra, used twice in this passage. The explanation is as old as the days of the Vedānta Sūtras, where also this passage is similarly explained. In ancient India, however, there were Śūdras who were kings, and Brahmanas did not scruple to enter into matrimonial alliances with the Śūdras; and never hesitated to impart Brahma Vidyā to them.