Shloka 16

Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)

Devanagari script

अनुनीय यथाकामं सत्यसंधो महाव्रतः । स्वै: प्राणैब्राह्मणप्राणान्‌ परित्राय दिवं गत:,महान्‌ व्रतधारी राजा सत्यसंधने इच्छानुसार अनुनय-विनय करके अपने प्राणोंद्वारा एक ब्राह्मणके प्राणोंकी रक्षा की थी, ऐसा करके वे स्वर्गलोकमें गये थे

Transliteration

anūnīya yathākāmaṃ satyasaṃdho mahāvrataḥ | svaiḥ prāṇair brāhmaṇaprāṇān paritrāya divaṃ gataḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: True to his vow and steadfast in truth, that great observer of vows, having conciliated the other party in accordance with their wish, protected the life of a Brāhmaṇa at the cost of his own life-breath. Having thus upheld dharma through self-sacrifice, he attained heaven.

Word by Word

अनुनीयhaving conciliated / having entreated

यथाas / according to

कामम्desire; wish

सत्यसन्धःtrue to his vow / faithful to truth

महाव्रतःof great vow; great-vowed

स्वैःwith his own

प्राणैःby (his) life-breaths; with (his) life

ब्राह्मणप्राणान्the life(s) of a Brahmin

परित्रायhaving protected / having saved

दिवम्to heaven

गतःgone; went

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

a vow-observing king (unnamed in this verse)

a Brāhmaṇa

Svarga (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is upheld through truthfulness and self-sacrifice: protecting an innocent (here, a Brāhmaṇa) even at the cost of one’s own life is presented as a supreme ethical act that leads to heavenly merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa recounts an exemplary deed: a great-vowed, truth-steadfast king, after conciliating others as needed, saves a Brāhmaṇa’s life by giving up his own life-breath, and as a result attains heaven.