Shloka 40
Nārāyaṇasya Guhya-nāmāni Niruktāni (Etymologies of Nārāyaṇa’s Secret Epithets) / नारायणस्य गुह्यनामानि निरुक्तानि
त्यज धर्ममधर्म च तथा सत्यानृते त्यज । उभे सत्यानृते त्यक्त्वा येन त्यजसि तं त्यज,धर्म और अधर्मको छोड़ो। सत्य और असत्यको भी त्याग दो और उन दोनोंका त्याग करके जिसके द्वारा त्याग करते हो, उसको भी त्याग दो
tyaja dharmam adharmaṃ ca tathā satyānṛte tyaja | ubhe satyānṛte tyaktvā yena tyajasi taṃ tyaja ||
Narada said: “Let go of both dharma and adharma; likewise, let go of truth and untruth. Having abandoned both truth and untruth, abandon even that by which you perform the act of abandoning.” In ethical context, the verse points beyond ordinary moral oppositions toward inner freedom: when the seeker clings even to ‘renunciation’ as an identity or instrument, that subtle attachment must also be released.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches radical non-attachment: do not cling to moral binaries (dharma/adharma, truth/untruth) as fixed identities, and finally relinquish even the subtle ego-sense or method that claims, “I am renouncing.” True freedom requires dropping attachment not only to objects of choice but also to the renouncer’s standpoint.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Narada delivers a concise, aphoristic teaching aimed at liberation (moksha): he urges the listener to move beyond conventional oppositions and to dissolve the last residue of grasping—attachment to the very act or instrument of renunciation.