Shloka 39

Devanagari script

क्षमारित्रां सत्यमयीं धर्मस्थैर्यवटारकाम्‌ । त्यागवाताध्वगां शीघ्रां नौतार्या तां नदीं तरेत्‌,यह संसार एक नदीके समान है, जिसका उपादान या उदगम सत्य है, रूप इसका किनारा, मन स्रोत, स्पर्श द्वीप और रस ही प्रवाह है, गन्ध उस नदीकी कीचड़, शब्द जल और स्वर्गरूपी दुर्गम घाट है। शरीररूपी नौकाकी सहायतासे उसे पार किया जा सकता है। क्षमा इसको खेनेवाली लग्गी और धर्म इसको स्थिर करनेवाली रस्सी (लंगर) है। यदि त्यागरूपी अनुकूल पवनका सहारा मिले तो इस शीघ्रगामिनी नदीको पार किया जा सकता है। इसे पार करनेका अवश्य प्रयत्न करे

Transliteration

kṣamāritrāṃ satyamayīṃ dharmasthairyavaṭārakām | tyāgavātādhvagāṃ śīghrāṃ nautāryā tāṃ nadīṃ taret ||

Translation

Nārada said: “Let one cross that swift-flowing river of worldly existence by means of a boat. Its oar is forgiveness, its very substance is truth, and its anchoring-rope—steadfastness in dharma. With the favorable wind of renunciation, this rapid current can be traversed. Therefore one should certainly strive to cross it.”

Word by Word

क्षमाforbearance, forgiveness

अरित्राम्oar/pole (as a means of rowing)

सत्यमयीम्consisting of truth; made of truth

धर्मस्थैर्यवटारकाम्having dharma and steadfastness as its mooring/anchoring (rope/fastening)

त्यागवाताध्वगाम्moving with the wind of renunciation

शीघ्रामswift

नौby a boat

तार्याto be crossed; crossable

ताम्that (her/it)

नदीम्river

तरेत्should cross

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

saṃsāra (worldly existence) as a river

boat (nau)

oar (aritra)

wind (vāta)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly life is likened to a fast river; one crosses it through inner disciplines: truth as the foundation, forgiveness as the active means (oar), steadfast dharma as stabilizing support, and renunciation as the favorable wind that hastens progress toward freedom.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Nārada delivers moral instruction using a vivid river-and-boat allegory, urging deliberate effort to transcend saṃsāra by cultivating kṣamā (forgiveness), satya (truth), dharma-sthairya (steadfast righteousness), and tyāga (renunciation).