Shloka 26

Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)

Devanagari script

अशृण्वाना: पुराणानां धर्माणां परमा गती: । उत्पथं प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते काममन्युसमीरिता:

Transliteration

aśṛṇvānāḥ purāṇānāṃ dharmāṇāṃ paramā gatīḥ | utpathaṃ pratipatsyante kāma-manyu-samīritāḥ ||

Translation

Indra said: Driven by desire and anger, people will turn away from the ancient teachings and will not listen to the supreme goal taught by the Purāṇas regarding dharma. Stirred by these passions, they will take to the wrong path and stray from the highest fruit of righteous conduct.

Word by Word

• अशृण्वानाः: not listening
• अशृण्वानाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशृण्वान (श्रु धातु, शृण्वत्-प्रत्यय; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुराणानाम्: of the ancient (teachings)
• पुराणानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पुराण
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• धर्माणाम्: of dharmas / duties
• धर्माणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• परमा: supreme
• परमा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गतिः: goal / course / destiny
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उत्पथम्: wrong path
• उत्पथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्पथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते: they will proceed / take to
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति√पद्
• Form: Lṛṭ (Simple Future), Third, Plural, Ātmanepada

• कामम्: desire
• कामम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मन्युसमीरिताः: impelled by anger
• मन्युसमीरिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्यु-समीरित (सम्+ईर् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

इन्द्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Purāṇas
• Dharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When desire (kāma) and anger (manyu) dominate, people stop listening to time-tested dharmic instruction and drift into unethical conduct; attentiveness to sacred tradition is presented as a safeguard against moral deviation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra is warning about a condition of societal decline: people, provoked by passion and wrath, will disregard Purāṇic/ancient dharma and choose the ‘utpatha’ (wrong road), thereby losing the highest benefit that comes from righteous living.