Shloka 35

ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः

Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction

Devanagari script

तृष्णा हि सर्वपापिष्ठा नित्योद्वेगकरी स्मृता । अधर्मबहुला चैव घोरा पापानुबन्धिनी,“रागके वशीभूत हुए पुरुषको काम अपनी ओर आकृष्ट कर लेता है। फिर उसके मनमें कामभोगकी इच्छा जाग उठती है। तत्पश्चात्‌ तृष्णा बढ़ने लगती है। तृष्णा सबसे बढ़कर पापिष्ठ (पापमें प्रवृत्त करनेवाली) तथा नित्य उद्वेग करनेवाली बतायी गयी है। उसके द्वारा प्राय: अधर्म ही होता है। वह अत्यन्त भयंकर पापाबन्धनमें डालनेवाली है

Transliteration

tṛṣṇā hi sarvapāpiṣṭhā nityodvegakarī smṛtā | adharmabahulā caiva ghorā pāpānubandhinī ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Craving (tṛṣṇā) is remembered as the most sinful of all, for it continually breeds agitation. It is largely a cause of adharma, and, dreadful in its power, it binds one to the consequences of sin.”

Word by Word

तृष्णाcraving, thirst (desire)

हिindeed, for

सर्वपापिष्ठाthe most sinful of all

नित्योद्वेगकरीcausing constant agitation

स्मृताis said/remembered (as)

अधर्मबहुलाabounding in unrighteousness

चand

एवindeed, just

घोराterrible, dreadful

पापानुबन्धिनीleading to/bringing about sin (having sin as its consequence)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Insatiable craving (tṛṣṇā) is portrayed as a prime inner cause of sin: it generates continual mental unrest, multiplies adharma, and entangles a person in harmful karmic consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, in a didactic passage, characterizes tṛṣṇā as a destructive force in human conduct—linking desire-driven agitation to unethical action and subsequent bondage to sin.