Shloka 806

Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154

Devanagari script

अजिद्दात्वमशाठ्यं च यत्नतः परिमार्गत | तुम सब लोग धर्म, सत्य, शास्त्रज्ञान, न्यायपूर्ण बर्ताव समस्त प्राणियोंपर बड़ी भारी दया, कुटिलताका अभाव तथा शठताका त्याग--इन्हीं सद्गुणोंका यत्नपूर्वक अनुसरण करे

Transliteration

ajid dātvam aśāṭhyaṃ ca yatnataḥ parimārgata

Translation

Jambuka said: “Seek out with earnest effort the virtues of self-restraint, generosity, and freedom from deceit. Let all of you strive to follow dharma and truth, cultivate knowledge of the śāstras, act with justice, show profound compassion toward all living beings, and abandon crookedness and hypocrisy.”

Word by Word

• अजिह्मता: straightforwardness, absence of crookedness
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजिह्मता (अजिह्म + ता)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अत्वम्: you
• अत्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वम्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• अशाठ्यम्: absence of deceit, honesty
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशाठ्य (अ + शाठ्य)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

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

• यत्नतः: with effort, diligently
• यत्नतः: Karana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न

• परिमार्गत: seek out / pursue / practice
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + मृग् (धातु) → परिमार्गयति; here: परिमार्गत (आज्ञार्थ/लोट्-रूप-सम्भाव्य)
• Form: Imperative (probable), 2nd, Plural

Speaker

जम्बुक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Jambuka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse urges disciplined cultivation of key virtues—self-restraint, generosity, sincerity, truthfulness, justice, scriptural understanding, and compassion for all beings—while explicitly rejecting crookedness and hypocrisy.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s ethical instruction setting, Jambuka speaks as a moral teacher, advising listeners to actively seek and practice foundational virtues that sustain dharma and social harmony.