Mahabharata 3.201.316 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 316

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

Devanagari script

स निस्तरति दुर्गाणि स्वर्गलोक॑ च गच्छति । जो लोग कंधेपर जुआ उठानेमें समर्थ बलवान बैल ब्राह्मणोंको दान करते हैं, वे दुःख और संकटोंसे पार होकर स्वर्गलोकमें जाते हैं

Transliteration

sa nistarati durgāṇi svargalokaṃ ca gacchati |

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: „Wer eine solche Gabe darbringt, überwindet Nöte und gefährliche Engpässe und gelangt in die Himmelswelt.“ Im Zusammenhang preist der Vers das Verdienst, Brahmanen kräftige Ochsen zu schenken, die das Joch tragen können, und stellt dāna als dharmischen Weg dar, Leid zu überwinden und ein glückverheißendes jenseitiges Ziel zu erlangen.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निस्तरति: crosses over, gets through
• Type: Verb
• Root: निस्तॄ
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दुर्गाणि: difficult places/straits, dangers
• दुर्गाणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्ग
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• स्वर्गलोकम्: the world of heaven
• स्वर्गलोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्गलोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

• गच्छति: goes
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Svargaloka (Svarga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that dharmic charity—especially supporting brāhmaṇas through meaningful gifts—generates puṇya that helps one overcome life’s dangers and leads to attainment of Svarga.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is describing the फल (result) of a particular form of dāna: the donor who gives strong, yoke-bearing oxen (as understood from the surrounding Hindi gloss) is said to pass beyond distress and reach the heavenly realm.