Shloka 66
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
यद्येतदेवं कृत्वापि न विमोक्षो5स्ति कस्यचित् | धिक् कर्तरें च कार्य च श्रमश्नायं निरर्थक:,यदि यह सब दुष्कर कर्म करके भी किसीको मोक्ष नहीं प्राप्त हुआ तो कर्ताको धिक््कार है। उसके उस कार्यको धिक्कार है। और इसमें जो परिश्रम हुआ, वह व्यर्थ हो गया
yady etad evaṁ kṛtvāpi na vimokṣo 'sti kasyacit | dhik kartāraṁ ca kāryaṁ ca śramaś cāyaṁ nirarthakaḥ ||
Kapila said: “If, even after performing all this in the prescribed manner, liberation is not attained by anyone, then shame upon the doer and shame upon the deed itself; the exertion spent here would be pointless.”
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation must be a real and attainable end; if a practice cannot lead to moksha, then both the agent’s striving and the action’s value are called into question. The verse presses for discernment about means and ends in spiritual discipline.
In the Shanti Parva’s philosophical discourse, Kapila speaks critically, challenging the worth of arduous practices if they do not culminate in liberation, thereby pushing the discussion toward what truly leads to moksha.