Shloka 18

पाण्डोः श्राद्धं, सत्यवत्याः वनगमनम्, बाल्यस्पर्धा च

Pāṇḍu’s Śrāddha, Satyavatī’s Withdrawal, and Childhood Rivalry

Devanagari script

तासु चाप्यनवस्थासू त्यक्तसर्वेन्द्रियक्रिय: । सम्परित्यक्तधर्मार्थ: सुनिर्णिक्तात्मकल्मष:,जीवित पुरुषोंद्वारा अपने अभ्युदयके लिये जो-जो कर्म किये जा सकते हैं, उन समस्त सकाम कर्मोंको मैं त्याग दूँगा; क्योंकि वे सब कालसे सीमित हैं। अनित्य फल देनेवाली क्रियाओंके लिये जो सम्पूर्ण इन्द्रियोंद्वारा चेष्टा की जाती है, उस चेष्टाको भी मैं सर्वथा त्याग दूँगा; धर्मके फलको भी छोड़ दूँगा। अपने अन्तःकरणके मलको सर्वथा धोकर शुद्ध हो जाऊँगा

Transliteration

tāsu cāpyanavasthāsu tyaktasarvendriyakriyaḥ | samparityaktadharmārthaḥ sunirṇiktātmakalmaṣaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Inmitten jener unsteten, haltlosen Umstände wurde er zu einem, der die Tätigkeiten aller Sinne aufgegeben hatte. Selbst die Ziele von Dharma und Artha entsagend, fasste er den Entschluss, die Makel in seinem Innern vollständig abzuwaschen—und innere Reinheit zu suchen statt irgendeines zeitgebundenen, vergänglichen Lohns.“

Word by Word

तासुin those

चand

अपिalso/even

अनवस्थासुin unstable conditions

त्यक्तhaving abandoned

सर्वेन्द्रियक्रियःwhose actions of all senses (are abandoned)

सम्परित्यक्तcompletely renounced

धर्मार्थःone whose aim is dharma (or: the purpose of dharma)

सुनिर्णिक्तwell-cleansed

आत्मकल्मषःone whose inner impurity (is cleansed); impurity of the self/mind

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes radical detachment: when circumstances are unstable, one may turn inward—restraining sense-driven activity and relinquishing even socially valued aims (dharma and artha)—to focus on cleansing inner impurity and attaining moral-spiritual clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a shift in a character’s orientation: faced with unsettled conditions, the person withdraws from outward pursuits and sense-based actions, choosing purification of the self over the pursuit of worldly or even duty-based rewards.