स होवाच, तथा नस्त्वम् गौतम मापराधास्तव च पितामहा यथ, इयं विद्येतः पूर्वं न कस्मिंश्चन ब्राह्मण उवास; तां त्वहं तुभ्यं वक्श्यामि, को हि त्वैवं ब्रुवन्तमर्हति प्रत्याख्यातुमिति ॥ ८ ॥
sa hovāca, tathā nastvam gautama māparādhāstava ca pitāmahā yatha, iyaṃ vidyetaḥ pūrvaṃ na kasmiṃścana brāhmaṇa uvāsa; tāṃ tvahaṃ tubhyaṃ vakśyāmi, ko hi tvaivaṃ bruvantamarhati pratyākhyātumiti || 8 ||
8. The King said: Please do not take offence with us, Gautama, as your paternal grandfathers did not (with ours). Before this, this learning never rested with a Brāhmaṇa. But I shall teach it to you; for who can refuse you when you speak like this?
When Gautama thus declared his preference for this unavoidable humiliation to ignorance, the King, thinking that he was hurt, said begging his pardon: Please do not take offence with us, Gautama, as your paternal grandfathers did not with ours. That is to say, you should observe that attitude of your grandfathers towards us. Know that before this transmission to you, this learning that you have asked for never rested with a Brāhmaṇa. It has all along come down through a line of Kṣatriya teachers. I too should, if possible, maintain that tradition. Hence I said, ‘This comes under heavenly boons, Gautama. Please ask some human boon’ (VI. ii. 6). But it cannot be maintained any more, for your boon cannot be withheld. I shall teach even this learning to you; for who else even can refuse you when you speak like this? Then why should I not teach it to you?