Shloka 25

अरण्यवृत्ति-वैराग्योपदेशः | Forest Discipline and the Program of Non-Attachment

Devanagari script

जीवितं मरणं चैव नाभिनन्दन्न च द्विषन्‌ । वास्यैकं तक्षतों बाहुं चन्दनेनैकमुक्षत:

Transliteration

jīvitaṃ maraṇaṃ caiva nābhinandan na ca dviṣan | vāsyaikaṃ takṣato bāhuṃ candanenaikam ukṣataḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Regarding life and death alike, he neither rejoiced nor hated. While one of his arms was being cut off, he anointed the other with sandal-paste.”

Word by Word

• जीवितम्: life
• जीवितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित (√जीव्)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (√मृ)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

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

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अभिनन्दन्: rejoiced at / welcomed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√नन्द्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

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

• द्विषन्: hating (being hostile)
• द्विषन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्विष्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वासी: an adze/axe (carpenter’s tool)
• वासी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासी (√वस्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तक्षतः: of (him) who was cutting/hewing
• Type: Verb
• Root: तक्षत् (√तक्ष्)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• बाहुम्: arm
• बाहुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चन्दनेन: with sandalwood
• चन्दनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्दन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• एकम्: one (thing/part)
• एकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उक्षतः: of (him) who was sprinkling/anointing
• Type: Verb
• Root: उक्षत (√उक्ष्)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• arm (bāhu)
• sandalwood paste (candana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfast equanimity and non-hatred: a truly disciplined person does not exult in life nor recoil into hatred in the face of death or injury, maintaining inner balance even amid extreme suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira describes an exemplar of composure: as one arm is being severed, the person calmly applies sandal paste to the other, illustrating an unshaken mind that neither celebrates nor despises the conditions of life and death.