Shloka 1

Adhyāya 241: Guṇa-sṛṣṭi, Kṣetrajña-sākṣitva, and Śama through Ātma-jñāna (गुणसृष्टिः, क्षेत्रज्ञसाक्षित्वं, शमः)

Devanagari script

अपन बक। है २ >> एकचत्वारिशर्दाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: कर्म और ज्ञानका अन्तर तथा ब्रह्माप्राप्तिके उपायका वर्णन शुक उवाच यदिदं वेदवचनं कुरु कर्म त्यजेति च । कां दिशं विद्यया यान्ति कां च गच्छन्ति कर्मणा

Transliteration

Śuka uvāca: yad idaṃ vedavacanaṃ kuru karma tyajeti ca | kāṃ diśaṃ vidyayā yānti kāṃ ca gacchanti karmaṇā ||

Translation

Śuka sprach: „Vater, in den Veden begegnet man zweierlei Geboten: ‚Handle‘ und ‚entsage dem Handeln‘. Ich möchte dies verstehen: Wenn ein Mensch durch vidyā (Erkenntnis) das Handeln aufgibt, in welche ‚Richtung‘, in welchen Zustand, gelangt er? Und durch das Handeln—welches Ziel erreicht er?“

Word by Word

• शुकः: Śuka
• शुकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यत्: that which
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• इदम्: this
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• वेद-वचनम्: Vedic statement
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदवचन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• कुरु: do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कर्म: action, ritual duty
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• त्यज: abandon
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

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

• काम्: which (direction)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• दिशम्: direction, quarter
• दिशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• विद्यया: by knowledge
• विद्यया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• यान्ति: go
• Type: Verb
• Root: या
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• काम्: which (direction)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

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

• गच्छन्ति: go
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कर्मणा: by action
• कर्मणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

शुक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śuka
• Veda

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a classic Vedic tension: some passages enjoin ritual and duty (karma), while others praise renunciation (tyāga) grounded in knowledge (vidyā). Śuka asks how these two paths differ in their respective outcomes—worldly/heavenly attainments through action versus liberation-oriented attainment through knowledge.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śuka, the son-disciple, questions his father (implicitly Vyāsa) about apparently conflicting Vedic instructions. He seeks a clear account of the ‘destinations’ reached by those who renounce action through knowledge and by those who pursue action as prescribed duty.