Shloka 42

कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः

Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas

Devanagari script

अथान्तरिक्षे वागासीत्‌ तां च शुश्राव जाजलि: । धर्मेण न समस्त्वं वै तुलाधारस्य जाजले

Transliteration

athāntarikṣe vāg āsīt tāṃ ca śuśrāva jājaliḥ | dharmeṇa na samas tvaṃ vai tulādhārasya jājale ||

Translation

Then a voice arose in the sky, and Jājali heard it: “O Jājali, in dharma you are not equal to Tulādhāra. In Kāśī there dwells the great-knowing merchant Tulādhāra. O best of brāhmaṇas, even that Tulādhāra could not speak as you are speaking.” Thus Jājali heard the heavenly proclamation, which checked his self-assurance.

Word by Word

• {'atha': 'then, now', 'antarikṣe': 'in the mid-air, in the sky', 'vāk': 'speech, voice', 'āsīt': 'arose

• was', 'tām': 'that (voice)', 'śuśrāva': 'heard', 'jājaliḥ / jājale': 'Jājali (sage

• vocative: O Jājali)', 'dharmeṇa': 'in/with respect to dharma

• by righteousness', 'na samas': 'not equal', 'tvaṃ': 'you', 'vai': 'indeed, surely', 'tulādhārasya': 'of Tulādhāra', 'kāśī': 'Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)', 'mahājñānī': 'greatly wise, possessing profound knowledge', 'vaiśyaḥ': 'a merchant

• member of the Vaiśya class', 'pratiṣṭhitaḥ': 'established, renowned, residing with standing', 'vipravara': 'best of brāhmaṇas'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Jājali
• Tulādhāra
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• ākāśavāṇī (heavenly voice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True dharma is not validated by one’s own claims or status; it is measured by deeper ethical maturity. The heavenly voice punctures Jājali’s self-satisfaction and points him toward Tulādhāra, implying that humility and lived moral insight can surpass mere ascetic or rhetorical confidence.

What is happening in the narrative?

A celestial voice addresses Jājali directly, declaring that he is not equal in dharma to the merchant-sage Tulādhāra who resides in Kāśī. The proclamation functions as a corrective and a narrative cue, directing Jājali toward Tulādhāra for further instruction.