Shloka 30

ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः

Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction

Devanagari script

कोटराग्निर्यथाशेषं समूलं पादपं दहेत्‌ धर्मार्थो तु तथाल्पो5पि रागदोषो विनाशयेत्‌,“जैसे खोखलेमें लगी हुई आग सम्पूर्ण वृक्षको जड़-मूलसहित जलाकर भस्म कर देती है, उसी प्रकार विषयोंके प्रति थोड़ी-सी भी आसक्ति धर्म और अर्थ दोनोंका नाश कर देती है

Transliteration

koṭarāgnir yathāśeṣaṃ samūlaṃ pādapaṃ dahet | dharmārtho tu tathālpo 'pi rāgadoṣo vināśayet ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Just as a fire kindled within a hollow burns an entire tree, root and all, to nothing, so too even a slight attachment—born of passion and fault—can destroy both dharma and artha.”

Word by Word

कोटराग्निःfire in a hollow (tree-cavity fire)

यथाjust as

अशेषम्entirely, without remainder

समूलम्together with the roots

पादपम्tree

दहेत्would burn

धर्मार्थःdharma and artha (righteousness and prosperity)

तुbut, indeed

तथाso, in the same way

अल्पःsmall, slight

अपिeven, although

रागदोषःfault of attachment (passion-defect)

विनाशयेत्would destroy

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

koṭarāgni (fire in a hollow)

pādapa (tree)

dharma

artha

rāga

doṣa

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?

Even a small amount of attachment (rāga) can undermine one’s moral integrity (dharma) and worldly well-being (artha), just as a hidden internal fire can consume a whole tree from within.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana delivers a moral observation in the form of a simile, warning that subtle inner passions can cause total ruin—framing ethical counsel within the Vana Parva’s reflective, instructive tone.