Shloka 5

कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः

Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time

Devanagari script

श्रीमहेश्वरने कहा--धर्म और अर्थके तत्त्वको जाननेवाली, सदा धर्ममें तत्पर रहनेवाली, इन्द्रियसंयम-परायणे देवि! तुम्हारा प्रश्न समस्त प्राणियोंके लिये हितकर तथा बुद्धिको बढ़ानेवाला है, इसका उत्तर सुनो ।।

Transliteration

śrī-maheśvara uvāca—dharma-artha-tattva-jñāne, sadā dharme tatparā, indriya-saṃyama-parāyaṇe devi! tava praśnaḥ sarva-prāṇi-hita-karaḥ buddhi-vardhanaś ca; tasya uttaraṃ śṛṇu. satya-dharma-ratāḥ santaḥ sarva-liṅga-bhāva-vivarjitāḥ; dharma-labdha-artha-bhoktāras te narāḥ svarga-gāminaḥ.

Translation

Śrī Maheśvara said: “O Goddess—knower of the principles of dharma and artha, ever devoted to dharma, and intent on self-restraint—your question is beneficial to all beings and increases understanding. Listen to its answer. Those good people who delight in truth and dharma, who are free from all external marks of social or ascetic identity, and who enjoy wealth obtained through dharma—such men go to heaven.”

Word by Word

• सत्यधर्मरताḥ: devoted to truth and dharma
• सत्यधर्मरताḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यधर्मरत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सन्तः: good people, the virtuous
• सन्तः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वलिङ्गभविवर्जिताः: devoid of all (āśrama-)marks/signs
• सर्वलिङ्गभविवर्जिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वलिङ्गभविवर्जित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धर्मलब्धार्थभोक्तारः: enjoyers of wealth obtained through dharma
• धर्मलब्धार्थभोक्तारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मलब्धार्थभोक्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ते: those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नराः: men, persons
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्वर्गगामिनः: going to heaven
• स्वर्गगामिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्गगामिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Devī (the Goddess; Pārvatī/Umā implied)
• Svarga (heaven)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True merit lies in truthfulness, devotion to dharma, and self-restraint; even without outward religious or social badges, those who enjoy wealth earned through righteous means are said to attain heaven.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śrī Maheśvara responds to the Goddess’s inquiry, praising it as universally beneficial, and then states the criterion for heavenly attainment: inner commitment to satya and dharma, coupled with righteous livelihood, rather than reliance on external identifiers.