Shloka 9

पाण्डोः श्राद्धं, सत्यवत्याः वनगमनम्, बाल्यस्पर्धा च

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

Devanagari script

वृक्षमूलनिकेतो वा त्यक्तसर्वप्रियाप्रिय: । न शोचन्‌ न प्रद्नष्यंश्व तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुति:,अथवा वृक्षोंका तल ही मेरा निवासगृह होगा। मैं प्रिय एवं अप्रिय सब प्रकारकी वस्तुओंको त्याग दूँगा। न मुझे किसीके वियोगका शोक होगा और न किसीकी प्राप्ति या संयोगसे हर्ष ही होगा। निनदा और स्तुति दोनों मेरे लिये समान होंगी

Transliteration

vṛkṣamūlaniketo vā tyaktasarvapriyāpriyaḥ | na śocan na prahṛṣyaṃś ca tulyanindātmasaṃstutiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Oder auch: Der Fuß eines Baumes sei meine Wohnung. Ich werde alles aufgeben, was ‚lieb‘ und ‚nicht lieb‘ ist. Weder werde ich bei Trennung trauern, noch bei Gewinn oder Wiedervereinigung jubeln. Tadel und Lob sollen mir gleich sein.“

Word by Word

• {'vṛkṣa': 'tree', 'mūla': 'root

• foot (of a tree)', 'niketaḥ / niketa': 'dwelling

• abode', 'vṛkṣamūlaniketaḥ': 'one whose abode is at the root of a tree

• living under a tree', 'vā': 'or

• alternatively', 'tyakta': 'abandoned

• renounced', 'sarva': 'all

• every', 'priya': 'dear

• desired', 'apriya': 'not dear

• undesired', 'priyāpriya': 'the pleasant and the unpleasant

• likes and dislikes', 'tyaktasarvapriyāpriyaḥ': 'having renounced all likes and dislikes', 'na': 'not', 'śocan': 'grieving

• lamenting', 'prahṛṣyan': 'rejoicing

• exulting', 'ca': 'and', 'tulya': 'equal

• the same', 'nindā': 'blame

• censure', 'ātmasaṃstutiḥ': 'self-praise

• praise (directed to oneself)', 'tulyanindātmasaṃstutiḥ': 'to whom blame and praise are equal'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• tree
• tree-root (as dwelling)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches vairāgya and inner steadiness: a disciplined person reduces dependence on comforts, abandons attachment and aversion, and remains even-minded amid loss and gain, and amid blame and praise.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, an ideal of ascetic resolve is being voiced: the speaker describes a life of minimal shelter (under a tree) and a mind trained to be unaffected by emotional swings caused by separation, acquisition, censure, or commendation.