स होवाच, विज्ञायते हास्ति हिरण्यस्यापात्तं गोअश्वानां दासीनां प्रवाराणां परिधानस्य, मा नो भवान्बहोरनन्तस्यापर्यन्तस्याभ्यवदान्यो भूदिति; स वै गौतम तीर्थेनेच्छासा इति; उपैम्यहं भवन्तमिति; वाचा ह स्मैव पूर्व उपयन्ति, स होपायनकीर्त्योवास ॥ ७ ॥
sa hovāca, vijñāyate hāsti hiraṇyasyāpāttaṃ goaśvānāṃ dāsīnāṃ pravārāṇāṃ paridhānasya, mā no bhavānbahoranantasyāparyantasyābhyavadānyo bhūditi; sa vai gautama tīrthenecchāsā iti; upaimyahaṃ bhavantamiti; vācā ha smaiva pūrva upayanti, sa hopāyanakīrtyovāsa || 7 ||
7. Āruṇi said, ‘You know that I already have gold, cattle and horses, maid-servants, retinue, and dress. Be not ungenerous towards me alone regarding this plentiful, infinite and thexhaustible (wealth).’ ‘Then you must seek it according to form, Gautama.’ ‘I approach you (as a student).’ The ancients used to approach a teacher simply through declaration. Āruṇi lived as a student by merely announcing that he was at his service.
Gautama said, ‘You too know that I have them. So the human boon that you propose to give me will do me no good. Because I too already have plenty of gold, cattle and horses, maid-servants, retinue, and dress.’ The words ‘Apāttam asti’ (there is attainment) should be connected with all the terms. ‘And what I already have, neither I should ask of you, nor you should give me. You have promised me a boon. You alone know what is proper under the circumstances—that you should keep your promise. I have also another thing on my mind: Having been generous everywhere, be not ungenerous, stingy, towards me alone regarding this wealth—plentiful, infinite, i.e. producing such results, and inexhaustible, i.e. reaching down to one’s sons and grandsons. You should not deny such wealth to me alone. You will not deny it to anybody else.’ Thus addressed, the King said, ‘Then you must seek to have this learning according to form, that prescribed by the scriptures.’ At this Gautama said, ‘I approach you as a student.’ The ancients—Brāhmaṇas seeking instruction from Kṣatriyas or Vaiśyas, or Kṣatriyas seeking it from Vaiśyas, as a matter of necessity—used to approach a teacher simply through declaration, not by actually approaching his feet or serving him. Hence Gautama lived as a student by merely announcing that he was at his service, without actually approaching the King’s feet.