Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 15
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
ईहन्ते सर्वभूतानि तदिदं कर्मसंज्ञितम् । सिद्धिक्षेत्रमिदं पुण्यमयमेवाश्रमो महान्
īhante sarvabhūtāni tad idaṃ karmasaṃjñitam | siddhikṣetram idaṃ puṇyamayam evāśramo mahān |
Arjuna said: “All beings strive and exert themselves—this is what is called ‘action’ (karma). This sacred sphere of accomplishment is the great āśrama: the householder’s life, where Vedic duties—especially sacrifice—are undertaken. The Vedas firmly teach these rites, and the sages declare that actions reach fulfillment through Vedic mantras; therefore, by performing them one attains the desired results here and the path leading to heaven. Hence, most creatures endeavor, as far as they can, to complete the time-marked sacrifices connected with months, fortnights, seasons, the sun, the moon, and the stars. The performance of such sacrifices is called karma, and the place where these are done—the gṛhastha-āśrama—is the meritorious field of success and the greatest of the āśramas.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ‘karma’ as the universal striving of beings, and then narrows it to Vedic duty—especially yajña—performed with mantras. It elevates the gṛhastha-āśrama as the primary, merit-filled ‘field of accomplishment’ because it is the social and ritual setting where these duties are actually carried out and where desired results (including the path to svarga) are pursued.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on dharma and right conduct, Arjuna speaks about the nature of action and the religious life. He explains why householdership is considered the greatest āśrama: it sustains Vedic rites and time-bound sacrifices linked to cosmic cycles (months, seasons, sun, moon, stars), which most beings attempt to perform to the best of their capacity.