Sutra 61

Devanagari script

तस्य पूर्वः पूर्वः श्रेयानुपसम्प्राप्तुम् ॥ कZ_०९.७.६१ ॥

Transliteration

tasya pūrvaḥ pūrvaḥ śreyān upasamprāptum

Translation

Within that triad, the earlier-listed aim is preferable to pursue first (priority runs from artha to dharma to kāma).

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/its; of that (person/thing)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचनम् (Gen. sg.), पुं/नपुं; सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक

• पूर्वः: the earlier/preceding (one)
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: पूर्व
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.), पुंलिङ्ग; विशेषण/संज्ञावत् प्रयोगः

• पूर्वः: the earlier (one) (again, for emphasis: each earlier one)
• Type: Adjective (used substantively)
• Root: पूर्व
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.), पुंलिङ्ग; पुनरुक्ति (iterative emphasis)

• श्रेयान्: better; preferable; superior
• Type: Adjective (comparative)
• Root: श्रेयस्
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (Nom. sg.), पुंलिङ्ग; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative)

• उपसम्प्राप्तुम्: to attain; to reach; to obtain
• Type: Verb (infinitive)
• Root: उप-सम्-√प्राप्
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्तम् (infinitive in -tum); अर्थः: प्राप्तुम्/अधिगन्तुम्; उपसर्गाः: उप-, सम्-

Entities Mentioned

• artha
• dharma
• kāma

More Details

FAQs

What is the operational meaning of 'the earlier is better' here?

When trade-offs are unavoidable, prioritize artha (capacity/resources), then dharma (order/legitimacy), then kāma (welfare/pleasure).