Shloka 2

Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)

Devanagari script

वेदवादेषु कुशला हाध्यात्मकुशलाश्व ये,जो लोग वेदोंके प्रवचनमें निपुण, अध्यात्मज्ञानमें कुशल, सत्त्वगुणसम्पन्न और महान्‌ भाग्यशाली हैं, वे जगत्‌की सृष्टि और प्रलयको ठीक-ठीक जानते हैं; अतः ब्राह्मणको इस प्रकार धर्मानुकूल बर्ताव करते हुए शिष्ट पुरुषोंकी भाँति सदाचारका पालन करना चाहिये

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | vedavādeṣu kuśalā hy ādhyātma-kuśalāś ca ye, sattva-guṇa-sampannā mahā-bhāgyāś ca ye janāḥ | te jagataḥ sṛṣṭiṃ ca pralayaṃ ca yathāvat prajānanti; ataḥ brāhmaṇena dharmānukūlena vartamānena śiṣṭa-puruṣavat sadācāraḥ pālanīyaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: “Those people who are skilled in the expositions of the Veda, adept in spiritual knowledge, endowed with the quality of sattva, and greatly fortunate—such persons understand correctly the creation and dissolution of the world. Therefore a brāhmaṇa, conducting himself in accordance with dharma, should uphold good conduct in the manner of the cultured and disciplined.”

Word by Word

• {'vyāsa uvāca': 'Vyāsa said', 'vedavādeṣu': 'in Vedic discussions/expositions

• in interpretations of the Veda', 'kuśalāḥ': 'skilled, proficient', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'ādhyātma': 'pertaining to the self/spirit

• spiritual knowledge', 'ādhyātma-kuśalāḥ': 'skilled in spiritual doctrine/inner knowledge', 'sattva-guṇa': 'the quality of clarity, harmony, goodness', 'sampanna': 'endowed with, possessed of', 'mahā-bhāgya': 'greatly fortunate, highly blessed', 'janāḥ': 'people', 'jagataḥ': 'of the world', 'sṛṣṭi': 'creation, emanation', 'pralaya': 'dissolution, cosmic withdrawal', 'yathāvat': 'as it truly is

• correctly', 'prajānanti': 'they know, they understand', 'ataḥ': 'therefore', 'brāhmaṇena': 'by a brāhmaṇa

• for a brāhmaṇa', 'dharmānukūlena': 'in conformity with dharma

• dharma-aligned', 'vartamānena': 'conducting oneself

• behaving', 'śiṣṭa-puruṣavat': 'like a cultured/learned gentleman

• as the refined do', 'sadācāraḥ': 'good conduct, right practice, ethical discipline', 'pālanīyaḥ': 'should be maintained/observed'}

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Veda
• brāhmaṇa
• jagat (the world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True ethical conduct (sadācāra) should be grounded in dharma and guided by the example of the cultured (śiṣṭa). Those who combine Vedic learning with inner spiritual understanding and sattvic character are presented as reliable knowers of reality; hence their standard of conduct is to be followed.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa is instructing about proper religious-ethical life. He points to learned, spiritually mature, sattvic persons as authorities on ultimate matters (creation and dissolution) and draws a practical conclusion: a brāhmaṇa should live in a dharma-consistent way, maintaining exemplary conduct.