Shloka 3

इन्द्रेण वृत्रवधः, ब्रह्महत्याया अनुगमनम्, तथा च विभाजन-निवासविधानम्

Indra’s defeat of Vṛtra; pursuit by Brahmahatyā; allocation of her abodes

Devanagari script

करणे घटस्य या बुद्धिर्घटोत्पत्ती न सा मता । एवं धर्मभ्युपायेषु नान्यधर्मेषु कारणम्‌,घटके निर्माणकालमें जिस बुद्धिका उपयोग है, वह घटकी उत्पत्ति हो जानेपर आवश्यक नहीं रहती, इसी प्रकार चित्त-शुद्धिके उपायभूत यज्ञादि धर्मोंका लक्ष्य पूरा हो जानेपर मोक्षसाधनरूप शम-दमादि अन्य धर्मोंके लिये वे आवश्यक नहीं रहते

Transliteration

karaṇe ghaṭasya yā buddhir ghaṭotpattau na sā matā | evaṁ dharmābhyupāyeṣu nānyadharmeṣu kāraṇam ||

Translation

ঘট নিৰ্মাণৰ সময়ত যি বুদ্ধিৰ প্ৰয়োগ লাগে, ঘট উৎপন্ন হোৱাৰ পিছত সেয়া আৰু আৱশ্যক বুলি ধৰা নহয়। তেনেদৰে চিত্তশুদ্ধিৰ উপায়ৰূপ যজ্ঞাদি ধৰ্ম, উদ্দেশ্য সিদ্ধ হ’লে, মোক্ষসাধনৰূপ শম-দমাদি উচ্চ ধৰ্মসমূহৰ প্ৰত্যক্ষ কাৰণ নহয়; মোক্ষৰ বাবে শম, দম আদি স্বতন্ত্ৰ গুণধৰ্মেই উপায়।

Word by Word

• {'karaṇe': 'in the making/doing

• in the process of production', 'ghaṭasya': 'of the pot (ghaṭa)', 'buddhiḥ': 'intelligence, practical understanding, operative know-how', 'yā': 'which', 'ghaṭotpattau': 'upon the arising/production of the pot

• once the pot is produced', 'na': 'not', 'sā': 'that (same)', 'matā': 'considered, held to be', 'evaṁ': 'thus, in the same way', 'dharma-abhyupāyeṣu': 'in the means/expedients that lead to dharma (preparatory religious practices)', 'na-anya-dharmeṣu': 'not (as a cause) in other dharmas

• not for different/other disciplines', 'kāraṇam': 'cause, direct instrument'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• pot (ghaṭa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Preparatory religious acts are useful as means (e.g., for purification), but once their intended result is achieved they are not the direct instrument for the next, higher goal; liberation requires its own specific disciplines such as inner calm and self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva discourse, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and liberation, using the analogy of pot-making to distinguish between preliminary practices and the distinct virtues required for moksha.