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Shloka 17

तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः

Instruction on the Cessation of Craving

श्रिया विहीनैरलसै: पण्डितै: सम्प्रवर्तितम्‌ । वेदवादापरिज्ञानं सत्याभासमिवानृतम्‌

śriyā vihīnair alasaiḥ paṇḍitaiḥ sampravartitam | vedavādāparijñānaṃ satyābhāsam ivānṛtam ||

Kapila sprach: „Dieses sogenannte Verständnis der vedischen Lehrrede, in Gang gesetzt von Gelehrten ohne wahre Vorzüglichkeit und versunken in Trägheit, ist in Wahrheit eine Fälschung der Wahrheit — eine Unwahrheit, die nur wie Wahrheit aussieht.“

श्रियाby/with prosperity (fortune)
श्रिया:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootश्री
FormFeminine, Instrumental, Singular
विहीनैःdevoid (of)
विहीनैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootविहीन
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
अलसैःlazy
अलसैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootअलस
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
पण्डितैःby scholars/learned men
पण्डितैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootपण्डित
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
सम्प्रवर्तितम्set in motion / propagated
सम्प्रवर्तितम्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootसम्-प्र-वृत्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
वेदवादVedic disputation/argument (talk about the Veda)
वेदवाद:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootवेदवाद
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अपरिज्ञानम्non-understanding / ignorance
अपरिज्ञानम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअ-परि-ज्ञान
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
सत्याभासम्a semblance of truth
सत्याभासम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootसत्याभास
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
अनृतम्falsehood/untruth
अनृतम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअनृत
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular

कपिल उवाच

K
Kapila

Educational Q&A

Kapila warns that mere scholarly talk about the Veda, when driven by laziness and lack of inner excellence, becomes only a semblance of truth—persuasive-sounding but ethically and spiritually false. True knowledge must be lived and realized, not merely argued.

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation-oriented wisdom, Kapila speaks critically about misguided “Vedic” interpretations. He contrasts authentic insight with hollow erudition that circulates as authoritative teaching while actually being deceptive.