Shloka 27

Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga

Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

स्वमेव चार्थ कुर्वाणा यज्ञं चक्कु: पुनर्द्धिजा:

Transliteration

svam eva cārthaṃ kurvāṇā yajñaṃ cakkuḥ punar dvijāḥ

Translation

Chūlādhāra said: “Again, the twice-born performed sacrifice while acting only for their own sake—treating the rite as a means to personal gain rather than as a selfless offering.”

Word by Word

• स्वम्: one's own (self/own property)
• स्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अर्थम्: wealth/means (artha)
• अर्थम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कुर्वाणाः: doing/making
• कुर्वाणाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कुर्वाण (शतृ/वर्तमान-कृदन्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• यज्ञम्: sacrifice (yajña)
• यज्ञम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चक्रुः: they did/performed
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, बहुवचन

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• द्विजाः: the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

चुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• चुलाधार (Chulādhāra)
• द्विजाः (dvijāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ritual action (yajña) is ethically judged by intention: when performed for personal gain, it loses its higher dharmic spirit and becomes self-serving rather than an offering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Chulādhāra is speaking critically about certain ‘twice-born’ who perform sacrifices, emphasizing that they do so repeatedly with a self-centered motive, setting up a discussion on true dharma beyond mere ritualism.