FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.7.25

అవధూతం ద్విజం కఞ్చిచ్చరన్తమకుతోభయమ్ । కవిం నిరీక్ష్య తరుణం యదు: పప్రచ్ఛ ధర్మవిత్ ॥ ౨౫ ॥
avadhūtaṁ dvijaṁ kaṣcic
[avadhootam dvijam kashchich]
carantam akuto-bhayam
[charantam akuto-bhayam]
kaviṁ nirīkṣya taruṇaṁ
[kavim nireekshya tarunam]
yaduḥ papraccha dharma-vit
[yaduh paprachcha dharma-vit]
Word-for-word
avadhūtam — the mendicant dvijam — a brāhmaṇa kaṣcit — a certain carantam — wandering akutaḥ-bhayam — without fear for any reason kavim — learned nirīkṣya — observing taruṇam — young yaduḥ — King Yadu papraccha — inquired dharma-vit — expert in religious principles.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
avadhūtaṁ dvijaṁ kaṣcic
avadhūtam
the mendicant
dvijam
a brāhmaṇa
kaṣcit
a certain
carantam akuto-bhayam
carantam
wandering
akutaḥ-bhayam
without fear for any reason
kaviṁ nirīkṣya taruṇaṁ
kavim
learned
nirīkṣya
observing
taruṇam
young
yaduḥ papraccha dharma-vit
yaduḥ
King Yadu
papraccha
inquired
dharma-vit
expert in religious principles.
Mahārāja Yadu once observed a certain brāhmaṇa avadhūta, who appeared to be quite young and learned, wandering about fearlessly. Being himself most learned in spiritual science, the King took the opportunity and inquired from him as follows.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Mahārāja Yadu once observed a young, learned brāhmaṇa avadhūta, who was wandering about fearlessly. Being himself most learned in dharma, the King inquired from him as follows.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
A king learned in dharma humbles himself before a young, fearless avadhūta — true authority recognizes spiritual realization regardless of age or station.
Practical Applications
  • Identify one person younger or lower in status than you who clearly has spiritual insight, and ask them a genuine question today.
  • Notice when you dismiss a teaching because of the teacher's age, dress, or credentials, and consciously reopen yourself to the substance.
  • Refuse to let your own learning or position become a reason you stop inquiring — pose one sincere question to Kṛṣṇa or a Vaiṣṇava today.
Reflection Questions
  • What kind of fearlessness do I see in this young avadhūta that I lack, and which attachment is the source of my fear?
  • Where has my expertise in dharma started to block me from receiving fresh instruction the way Mahārāja Yadu received it?
For Each Age Group
youth
  • When a classmate or younger sibling says something that pierces you spiritually, write it down instead of brushing it off because of who said it.
  • Notice when you stay silent in class or satsaṅga because asking would reveal what you don't know, and ask the question anyway today.
  • Identify one fear — failing an exam, losing a friend group, looking foolish online — and bring it honestly to Kṛṣṇa rather than performing fearlessness.
householder
  • Ask your spouse or child one sincere question about your own conduct today, with the posture Yadu took before the avadhūta.
  • When a junior colleague or younger devotee offers a correction at work or in service, receive it fully before defending your seniority.
  • Audit one area — money, career, children's future — where worry rules you, and place that specific item before Kṛṣṇa as Yadu placed his inquiry before the avadhūta.
senior
  • Seek out a younger Vaiṣṇava whose realization you quietly respect, and ask them one question you would normally only ask a peer.
  • Loosen one identity you have carried for decades — professional, parental, communal — and notice where its loss still frightens you.
  • Mentor someone this week by asking more than you tell, modeling Yadu's inquiry rather than the elder's lecture.
Common Pitfalls
  • Romanticizing the avadhūta's wandering as license to abandon one's own āśrama duties without the requisite realization.
  • Treating humility before a teacher as a performance to be seen, rather than the actual posture Yadu took as a learned king.
  • Mistaking outward markers — youth, eccentricity, renounced dress — for the inner fearlessness that actually qualifies a teacher.
Discussion Prompts
  • Share one time you received decisive spiritual guidance from someone the world would consider beneath you — and what almost made you miss it.
  • Mahārāja Yadu is dharma-vit yet still inquires. Where in your life does being knowledgeable quietly prevent you from being teachable?
  • What does "fearless wandering" look like for a person with your responsibilities, and where are you tempted to confuse it with simply walking away?
Role Play

One student plays a senior, well-respected practitioner attending a class taught by someone two decades younger who has clearly deeper realization. The other students observe how the senior asks questions, handles internal resistance, and shows respect — then the group debriefs what was authentic and what was posturing.

Objections & Responses
  • Why should a learned king bow to a wandering youth? This seems to reward rootlessness over responsibility.
    Yadu does not bow to wandering as a lifestyle; he bows to a soul established in fearlessness in Kṛṣṇa. The verse honors realization, not vagrancy — and Yadu himself remains a king while inquiring.
  • In a modern context, isn't this just deference to charisma? Plenty of fearless-looking young people lead others astray.
    That is exactly why Yadu is described as dharma-vit — he can discern. Gauḍīya tradition tests a teacher by śāstra, sādhu, and guru-paramparā; the verse models discerning recognition, not credulous attraction.
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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