Bhartṛharī's Nītiśatakam. Verse 3.

Bhartṛharī's Nītiśatakam. Verse 3.

अज्ञः सुखमाराध्यः सुखतरमाराध्यते विशेषज्ञः । 

ज्ञानलवदुर्विदग्धं ब्रह्माऽपि तं नरं न रञ्जयति ॥

ajñaḥ sukhamārādhyaḥ sukhataramārādhyate viśeṣajñaḥ | 

jñānalavadurvidagdhaṃ brahmā'pi taṃ naraṃ na rañjayati ||

[An ignorant person can be easily convinced. A wise person can be convinced even more easily. However, even Lord Brahmā cannot satisfy or convince a person who is puffed up with a tiny fragment of knowledge.]

{Nītiśatakam. Verse 3}

Commentary:

In this first section titled Ajñapaddhati (The Way of the Ignorant), Mahākavī Bhartṛharī presents a specific problem within the system of education. He highlights a challenge in teaching that applies not to children, but to "public education." The listeners here are not literal children, but adults with a "childish intellect," which creates a real dilemma for scholars and moralists.

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In the earlier verse, the listeners were classified into three groups: the learned, who are afflicted by ego; rulers, who are consumed by pride; and common people, who are overwhelmed by ignorance. In the present verse, these common people are further subdivided into three categories — those who are ignorant, those who are wise, and those who possess a false sense of knowledge arising from misplaced ego.

1. The Ignorant: It is acceptable for a person to be completely ignorant. At the very least, they are aware of their ignorance and are willing to learn.

2. The Wise: It is even easier to explain things to a wise person. Because they already have knowledge of the subject, one only needs to show them how to remove the obstacles in their path.

3. The Problematic Group: Therefore, both the wise and the ignorant can be taught. The problem lies with a third group of people who have a very limited knowledge yet a false ego of being‌ sarvajña.

Bhartṛharī refers to them as jñānalavadurvidagdha. Because of their shallow understanding, they become arrogant. They consider themselves extremely clever and refuse to accept corrections. If someone tries to explain something to them, they become angry and dismissive, thinking, “What can this person teach me?”

Bhartṛharī further observes that even Brahmā himself is incapable of satisfying or convincing such people. This statement subtly conveys that if even Chaturmukha Brahmā — the four-faced creator endowed with four mouths — cannot persuade them, then how could one with a single mouth hope to succeed?

In truth, most of us belong to this third category. We carry within us the false ego of omniscience, believing that we already know everything worth knowing. It is precisely for our own correction and benefit that the great poet Mahākavī Bhartṛharī undertook the formidable task of composing the Nītiśatakam.

🔱 ॥ श्री दत्तात्रेयार्पणमस्तु ॥ 🔱