atha hainaṃ sukeśā bhāradvājaḥ papraccha | bhagavanhiraṇyanābhaḥ kausalyo rājaputro māmupetyaitaṃ praśnamapṛcchata | ṣoḍaśakalaṃ bhāradvāja puruṣaṃ vettha | tamahaṃ kumāramabruvaṃ nāhamimaṃ veda | yadyahamimamavedṣaṃ kathaṃ te nāvakṣyamiti | samūlo vā eṣa pariśuṣyati yo'nṛtamabhivadati tasmānnārhāmyanṛtaṃ vaktumiti | sa tūṣṇīṃ rathamāruhya pravavrāja | taṃ tvā pṛcchāmi kvāsau puruṣa iti ||
"Then Sukesha Bharadvaja asked: "Lord, prince Hiranyabha Kausalya once came to me and asked: Do you know the Person of sixteen parts, O Bharadvaja? I told the young man: I do not know him. If I knew, how would I not tell you? One who speaks untruth withers from the root. Therefore I must not speak untruth. He silently mounted his chariot and departed. I now ask you: Where is that Person?""
What This Means:
Sukesha admits he could not answer a prince's question about the sixteen-parted Person. He was honest rather than pretend knowledge. Now he asks Pippalada.
Going Deeper:
The story illustrates intellectual honesty. False teachers dry up at the root. True seekers acknowledge ignorance and seek qualified masters.
How To Apply This:
Be honest about what you know and do not know. Pretending wisdom destroys spiritual progress.