Shloka 8

भिक्षुलक्षणम्—एकचर्याः, अहिंसा, कैवल्याश्रमः

Marks of the Mendicant: Solitary Wandering, Non-Injury, and the Kaivalya-Discipline

Devanagari script

आक्रीडानां गृहाणां च गदानामगदस्य च । प्रज्ञावन्त: प्रयोक्तारो ज्ञानवद्धिरनुछिता:

Transliteration

ākrīḍānāṁ gṛhāṇāṁ ca gadānām agadasya ca | prajñāvantaḥ prayoktāro jñānavaddhir anucchitāḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: Playgrounds and dwellings are fashioned with intention; likewise, diseases are recognized and medicines are applied with precision. Such undertakings do not arise by mere chance or automatic nature—rather, they are properly carried out by discerning people endowed with knowledge and practical skill.

Word by Word

• {'ākrīḍānām': 'of play-grounds, places for sport/recreation', 'gṛhāṇām': 'of houses, dwellings', 'ca': 'and', 'gadānām': 'of diseases, ailments', 'agadasya': 'of medicine/antidote, remedy', 'prajñāvantaḥ': 'the wise, discerning persons', 'prayoktāraḥ': 'appliers, practitioners

• those who employ (means) correctly', 'jñānavadbhiḥ': 'by those possessing knowledge', 'anucchitāḥ': 'properly performed/observed

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• ākrīḍa (playground)
• gṛha (house)
• gada (disease)
• agada (medicine/remedy)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes purposeful human agency guided by knowledge: meaningful structures and effective remedies come from intelligent planning and correct application, not from mere accident or automatic nature.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa illustrates a philosophical point using everyday examples—building places to live and play, and diagnosing and treating illness—to argue that competent, knowledgeable persons are the true instruments behind orderly outcomes.