Shloka 28

Devanagari script

क्रियावान्‌ श्रद्दधानो हि दान्त: प्राज्ञोडअनसूयक: । धर्माधर्मविशेषज्ञ: सर्व तरति दुस्तरम्‌,जो अपने धर्मके अनुसार कार्य करनेवाला, श्रद्धालु, मन और इन्द्रियोंको संयममें रखनेवाला, विद्वान, किसीके दोष न देखनेवाला तथा धर्म और अधर्मका विशेषज्ञ है, वह सम्पूर्ण दुःखोंसे पार हो जाता है

Transliteration

kriyāvān śraddadhāno hi dāntaḥ prājño 'n asūyakaḥ | dharmādharmaviśeṣajñaḥ sarvaṃ tarati dustaram ||

Translation

Vyāsa sprach: Wer gemäß der rechten Pflicht (Dharma) handelt, mit Glauben begabt ist, sich selbst beherrscht, weise ist, frei vom Fehlersuchen und kundig in der Unterscheidung von Dharma und Adharma—der überquert, was sonst schwer zu überqueren ist, und gelangt jenseits der ganzen Masse des Leidens.

Word by Word

क्रियावान्active; one who performs (proper) actions

श्रद्दधानःfaithful; having faith

हिindeed; for

दान्तःself-controlled; restrained

प्राज्ञःwise; discerning

अनसूयकःnon-censorious; not fault-finding

धर्माधर्मविशेषज्ञःknower of the distinctions between dharma and adharma

सर्वम्all; the whole (of it)

तरतिcrosses; overcomes

दुस्तरम्hard to cross; difficult to overcome

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that ethical action aligned with one’s dharma, supported by faith, self-restraint, wisdom, freedom from fault-finding, and clear discernment between dharma and adharma enables a person to transcend even the most difficult suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Vyāsa states a general principle of spiritual-ethical success: the character traits and discernment that allow a person to ‘cross over’ the hard-to-cross ocean of distress and moral confusion.