Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 2: Lord Brahmā Instructs Vālmīki
Text 1.2.21
भरद्वाजस्ततः शिष्यो विनीतः श्रुतवान्मुनिः।
कलशं पूर्णमादाय पृष्ठतोऽनुजगाम ह॥
bharadvājas tataḥ śiṣyo vinītaḥ śrutavān muniḥ
kalaśaṁ pūrṇam ādāya pṛṣṭhato ’nujagāma ha
bharadvājaḥ = Bharadvāja; tataḥ = then; śiṣyaḥ = [his] disciple; vinītaḥ = humble; śrutavān = learned; muniḥ = and sagacious; kalaśam = the pot; pūrṇam = filled with water; ādāya = taking and; pṛṣṭhataḥ anujagāma ha = followed him.
Then, Bharadvāja, his humble, learned and sagacious disciple, taking the pot filled with water, followed him.
[15] śrutaṁ śāstrāvadhṛtayoḥ (Amara).
Śrutavān indicates that Bharadvāja was learned in the scriptures and filled with understanding [15]. He had grasped the meaning of his guru’s śloka. He followed the sage, that is, he didn’t lag behind.