Shloka 36

Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya

Devanagari script

पुष्पतो मथ्विव रस: काम आशभ्यां तथा स्मृतः । कामो धर्मार्थयोर्योनि: कामश्चाथ तदात्मक:,जैसे फ़ूलसे उसका मधु-तुल्य रस श्रेष्ठ है, उसी प्रकार धर्म और अर्थसे काम श्रेष्ठ माना गया है। काम धर्म और अर्थका कारण है, अतः वह धर्म और अर्थरूप है

Transliteration

puṣpato madhv iva rasaḥ kāma āśrabhyaṃ tathā smṛtaḥ | kāmo dharmārthayor yoniḥ kāmaś cātha tadātmakaḥ ||

Translation

As honey is the finest essence drawn from a flower, so kāma (desire) is remembered as the superior essence in relation to dharma and artha. Kāma is the womb and source from which dharma and artha arise; therefore kāma, in a sense, is of their very nature.

Word by Word

पुष्पतःfrom a flower

मधु-इवlike honey

रसःjuice, essence

कामःdesire; kāma

अर्थाभ्याम्from/than artha (wealth, purpose) (twofold form used with dharma)

तथाthus, in the same way

स्मृतःis considered/remembered

कामःkāma

धर्म-अर्थयोःof dharma and artha

योनिḥsource, origin, cause

कामःkāma

चand

अथthen, moreover

तदात्मकःhaving their nature; consisting of that (i.e., of dharma and artha)

Speaker

भीमयेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes