Shloka 4

Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga

Adhyātma-Upadeśa

Devanagari script

हिंसापराश्न ये केचिद्‌ ये च नास्तिकवृत्तय: । लोभमोहसमायुक्तास्ते वै निरयगामिन:

Transliteration

hiṁsāparāśn ye kecid ye ca nāstikavṛttayaḥ | lobhamohasamāyuktās te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu said: Those who are devoted to violence against living beings, who adopt an irreligious (atheistic) way of life, and who are entangled in greed and delusion—such people indeed proceed to hell.

Word by Word

• हिंसा-पराः: devoted to violence
• हिंसा-पराः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंसा + पर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• केचित्: some (persons)
• केचित्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: क + चित्

• ये: and those who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• नास्तिक-वृत्तयः: those of atheistic conduct / atheistic dispositions
• नास्तिक-वृत्तयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक + वृत्ति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• लोभ-मोह-समायुक्ताः: endowed with greed and delusion
• लोभ-मोह-समायुक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोभ + मोह + समा-युक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• निरय-गामिनः: goers to hell
• निरय-गामिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय + गामिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (Vāyu)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Violence toward living beings, denial of dharma (nāstika conduct), and being driven by greed and delusion are presented as spiritually ruinous; such dispositions lead to severe karmic consequences, described here as falling into niraya (hell).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking in a didactic context, delivering a moral warning: he identifies certain harmful behaviors and inner states (hiṁsā, nāstika-vṛtti, lobha, moha) and states their outcome, reinforcing ethical discipline and right conduct.