Mahabharata 3.201.57 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

पानीयस्य गुणा दिव्या: प्रेतलोकसुखावहा:

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: pānīyasya guṇā divyāḥ pretalokasukhāvahāḥ; jaladāna-karaṇe kā prabhāvaḥ atyantaṃ alaukikaḥ, sa paraloke sukhaṃ prāpayati. ye jaladānaṃ kurvanti teṣāṃ puṇyātmanāṃ mārge puṣpodakā nāma nadī prāpyate; te tasyāḥ śītalaṃ amṛtasamaṃ madhuraṃ jalaṃ pibanti.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Die Vorzüge der Gabe von Trinkwasser sind göttlich und bringen Glück in der Welt der Verstorbenen. Die Kraft des Wasserspendens ist wahrhaft außergewöhnlich; sie schenkt Trost im Jenseits. Den rechtschaffenen Seelen, die Wasser gaben, wird auf ihrem Weg ein Fluss namens Puṣpodakā zuteil; sie trinken sein kühles Wasser, süß wie Nektar.“

Word by Word

• पानीयस्य: of water / of drinking-water
• पानीयस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पानीय
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• गुणाः: qualities, merits
• गुणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दिव्याः: divine, wondrous
• दिव्याः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रेतलोकसुखावहाः: bringing happiness in the world of the departed (afterlife)
• प्रेतलोकसुखावहाः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेतलोक-सुख-आवह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Preta-loka (realm of the departed)
• Para-loka (afterlife)
• Puṣpodakā river
• Jala-dāna (gift of water)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Giving drinking water (jala-dāna) is presented as a highly meritorious act: it is compassionate in this world and yields comfort and auspicious support in the afterlife, symbolized by access to a refreshing, nectar-like river on the soul’s journey.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the spiritual efficacy of water-charity, explaining that those who donate water gain post-mortem benefit: on their path they reach the river Puṣpodakā and drink its cool, sweet, nectar-like water.