Shloka 38

अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्

Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas

Devanagari script

दैवं पित्रयं च सततं तस्य विज्ञाय तत्त्वत: । आत्मप्राप्तानि च ततः प्राप्तुवन्ति द्विजोत्तमा:,श्रेष्ठ द्विज उसीके उद्देश्यसे किये जानेवाले देवता तथा पितृ-सम्बन्धी कार्योंको ठीक- ठीक जानकर अपनी अभीष्ट वस्तुओंको प्राप्त कर लेते हैं

Transliteration

daivaṃ pitryaṃ ca satataṃ tasya vijñāya tattvataḥ | ātmaprāptāni ca tataḥ prāpnuvanti dvijottamāḥ ||

Translation

Nārada spricht: „Die Besten unter den Zweimalgeborenen erlangen, nachdem sie die göttlichen Riten und die Ahnenriten (pitṛ), die zu diesem Zweck zu vollziehen sind, der Wahrheit gemäß richtig erkannt haben, dadurch die Ziele, die sie suchen—Gewinne, die dem Selbst durch recht geleiteten Ritus und Einsicht in angemessener Weise zufallen.“

Word by Word

दैवम्divine rite/duty (pertaining to the gods)

पित्र्यम्ancestral rite/duty (pertaining to the Pitṛs)

चand

सततम्always/constantly

तस्यof that / its

विज्ञायhaving known/understood

तत्त्वतःin truth; correctly; as it really is

आत्मप्राप्तानिdesired/aimed-at (lit. self-attained/one's own sought) things

चand

ततःthereupon; from that (knowledge/practice)

प्राप्नुवन्तिthey obtain/attain

द्विजोत्तमाःbest of the twice-born (excellent Brahmins)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

dvijottamāḥ (best among the twice-born)

devas (gods)

pitṛs (ancestors)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True understanding of both divine (deva-related) and ancestral (pitṛ-related) duties, performed with correct intent and knowledge, leads to the rightful attainment of one’s desired aims; ritual is framed as effective when grounded in tattva (accurate understanding).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Narada’s instruction within the Śānti Parva’s dharma discourse, he emphasizes the proper comprehension and regular performance of deva- and pitṛ-obligations by the dvijas, presenting these as means by which they secure their intended results.