Shloka 14

अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम्‌ । नाभिजानामि यद्यस्य सत्यस्यार्धमवाप्तरुयात्‌

Transliteration

Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca— aśvamedha-sahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | nābhijānāmi yad yasya satyasyārdham avāptum arhati ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Legte man tausend Aśvamedha-Opfer auf eine Waagschale und die Wahrheit auf die andere, so vermag ich nicht zu sagen, dass jene Opfer es verdienten, auch nur der Hälfte der Wahrheit gleichzukommen. So unermesslich ist der Wert der Wahrhaftigkeit.“

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Markandeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular

• अश्वमेध: Ashvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• अश्वमेध: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तुलया: with a balance/scale
• तुलया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• धृतम्: weighed/held (in the balance)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अभिजानामि: I know/recognize
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-ज्ञा
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• यस्य: of which/whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सत्यस्य: of truth
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अर्धम्: half
• अर्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अवाप्तुयात्: would attain/reach
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप्
• Form: Optative (Potential), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• tulā (balance/scale)
• satya (Truth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthfulness (satya) is ethically and spiritually superior to even the greatest ritual achievements; external rites, however grand, cannot match the inner virtue of truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya offers a striking comparison—placing a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices against Truth on a scale—to emphasize that satya outweighs ritual merit and stands as a central pillar of dharma.