Shloka 11

Adhyaya 4 — Jaimini Meets the Dharmapakshis: Four Doubts on the Mahabharata and the Opening of Narayana Doctrine

Sanskrit

स्फीतद्रव्ये कुले केचिज्जाताः किल मनस्विनः ।

द्रव्यनाशे द्विजेन्द्रास्ते शबरेण सुसान्त्विताः ॥

Transliteration

sphītadravye kule kecij jātāḥ kila manasvinaḥ | dravyanāśe dvijendrās te śabareṇa susāntvitāḥ ||

Translation

In einer an Besitz reichen Linie wurden wahrhaft einige hochgesinnte Männer geboren. Als ihr Reichtum vernichtet war, wurden jene Vornehmsten unter den Zweimalgeborenen von einem Śabara (Waldbewohner) gut getröstet.

Word by Word

स्फीत-द्रव्येin (a family) with abundant wealth

कुलेin a family

केचित्some (people)

जाताःborn

किलit is said; indeed

मनस्विनःhigh-minded; spirited

द्रव्य-नाशेin the loss of wealth

द्विजेन्द्राःthe best of the twice-born (Brahmins)

तेthey

शबरेणby the Śabara (hunter/tribesman)

सु-सान्त्विताःwell consoled

Speakers

Narratorial voice within the Purāṇic account (specific interlocutors not explicit in this verse alone)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

DharmaFortune and adversitySocial categories (dvija and forest-dweller)Consolation/ethical counsel

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Prosperity and social status are unstable; when external supports (wealth) collapse, steadiness of mind and right counsel become the true refuge. The verse also implies that wisdom and the capacity to console are not confined to elite social categories—ethical insight may come even from a forest-dweller (Śabara).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse aligns most closely with Vaṃśa/Vaṃśānucarita (genealogies and accounts of lineages and their fortunes), rather than Sarga/Pratisarga/Manvantara.

What is the esoteric significance?

Wealth (dravya) symbolizes externalized power and identity; its loss forces an inward turn. The Śabara, living outside refined society and closer to nature, can symbolize a return to simplicity and grounded discernment that restores inner composure when worldly structures fail.