Mahabharata 3.201.22 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 22

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

न तथा हविषो होमैर्न पुष्पैननिलेपनै: । अग्नय: पार्थ तुष्यन्ति यथा हृतिथिभोजने

Transliteration

na tathā haviṣo homair na puṣpair anilepanaiḥ | agnayaḥ pārtha tuṣyanti yathā hṛtithibhojane, kuntīnandana ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „O Pārtha, Sohn der Kuntī: Das Feuer ist nicht in gleichem Maße erfreut durch die Opfergüsse im Ritual, noch durch Blumen und duftende Salben, wie es erfreut ist, wenn man Gäste mit willigem Herzen speist.“

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तथा: thus; in that manner; so much
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• हविषः: of the oblation (havis)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हविस्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• होमैः: by/with (acts of) offering into fire; by homas
• होमैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• न: nor
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• पुष्पैः: by/with flowers
• पुष्पैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अनिलेपनैः: by/with unguents/anointings (e.g., sandal paste)
• अनिलेपनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनिलेपन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• अग्नयः: the fires; Agni(s)
• अग्नयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पार्थ: O Partha (Arjuna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तुष्यन्ति: are satisfied; become pleased
• Type: Verb
• Root: तुष्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• यथा: as; just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अतिथिभोजने: in feeding guests; in guest-feeding
• अतिथिभोजने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथिभोजन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कुन्तीनन्दन: O son of Kunti
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्तीनन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Kuntī
• Agni (Fire-god)
• atithi (guest)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True religious merit is not limited to ritual offerings; heartfelt hospitality—feeding guests (atithi-bhojana) with sincerity—pleases Agni and upholds dharma more deeply than external acts like homa, flowers, or perfumes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Mārkaṇḍeya’s instruction to Pārtha (Arjuna) during the Vana Parva discourse, he emphasizes practical dharma: honoring and feeding guests is presented as a superior, living form of sacrifice that directly satisfies the divine principle of fire.