Shloka 17

Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga

Non-attachment

Devanagari script

निवृत्ति: कर्मण: पापात्‌ सततं पुण्यशीलता । सद्धिश्व समुदाचार: श्रेय एतदसंशयम्‌

Transliteration

nivṛttiḥ karmaṇaḥ pāpāt satataṃ puṇyaśīlatā | saddhiśva samudācāraḥ śreya etad asaṃśayam ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: „Von sündhaftem Tun abzulassen, beständig eine Haltung des Verdienstes zu bewahren und in rechter Lebensführung zu leben—dies ist ohne Zweifel das höchste Gut.“

Word by Word

निवृत्तिःcessation/withdrawal

कर्मणःfrom action/deed

पापात्from sin/evil

सततम्always/constantly

पुण्यशीलताvirtuous disposition

सत्good/right (thing)

हिindeed/for

एषःthis

समुदाचारःproper conduct

श्रेयःthe good/supreme good

एतत्this (is)

असंशयम्undoubtedly

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

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 defines śreyas (true welfare) as a threefold discipline: refraining from sinful acts (nivṛtti from pāpa), cultivating steady virtue (satataṃ puṇyaśīlatā), and embodying proper conduct in daily life (samudācāra).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Nārada speaks as a moral teacher, summarizing the practical marks of dharma: avoidance of wrongdoing and sustained ethical living as the sure path to the highest good.