विद्वत्त्वं च नृपत्वं च नैव तुल्यं कदाचन ।

vidvattvaṃ ca nṛpatvaṃ ca naiva tulyaṃ kadācana ।

स्वदेशे पूज्यते राजा विद्वान् सर्वत्र पूज्यते ।।

svadeśe pūjyate rājā vidvān sarvatra pūjyate ।।

 

English Meaning

Scholarship and kingship are never comparable. A king is worshipped in his own kingdom (whereas) a scholar is worshipped everywhere.

 

पदच्छेदः padacchedaḥ – Splitting into words

vidvattvaṃ ca nṛpatvaṃ ca na eva tulyaṃ kadācana ।

svadeśe pūjyate rājā vidvān sarvatra pūjyate ।।

 

अन्वयः anvayaḥ – Reordering as a sentence

vidvattvaṃ ca nṛpatvaṃ ca kadācana na eva tulyaṃ. 

rājā svadeśe pūjyate vidvān sarvatra pūjyate

 

पदार्थः padārthaḥ - Word by Word Meaning

vidvattvaṃ = scholarship ca = and nṛpatvaṃ = kingship, royalty na eva = not indeed tulyaṃ = comparable kadācana = at any time svadeśe = in own land pūjyate = venerated, worshipped rājā = king vidvān = scholar sarvatra = everywhere

 

Significance

A scholar's achievements are not restricted by geography. The fame of the learned naturally spreads beyond the regions they inhabit.  In contrast, the kingship or royalty is local. A king's valor may be well known beyond his lands, but seldom does he find favor amongst citizens of a different kingdom or country. His fame is restricted.

 

The teachers and scholars from the universities of nalanda, takṣaśīlā, ujjain of ancient bhārata were so well known in China and the far east, that students would undertake dangerous travel over several months to bhārata to seek knowledge from the best. Their fame had spread far and wide outside their home towns.

 

In the modern era, a tremendous amount of emphasis has been placed on becoming wealthy. While this is not wrong, focus on wealth and learning for the sake of wealth alone, does little to tap into the full potential of human beings. If the focus is on knowledge instead, fame, wealth, power and humility become natural byproducts. Most of all, the more knowledge we gain, the more it inspires us to share the knowledge with the society, thus making the world a better place.  

 

This shloka reinforces the culture of knowledge ingrained in the bhāratīya mindset and reminds us that in the choice between power and knowledge, knowledge is guaranteed to be revered and remembered.