Mahabharata 3.2.80 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 80

ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः

Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction

Devanagari script

एवं कर्माणि कुर्वन्ति संसारविजिगीषव: । रागद्वेषविनिर्मुक्ता ऐश्वर्य देवता गता:

Transliteration

evaṁ karmāṇi kurvanti saṁsāravijigīṣavaḥ | rāgadveṣavinirmuktā aiśvaryaṁ devatā gatāḥ ||

Translation

Those wise persons who seek to conquer the cycle of saṃsāra act in this very manner—performing their duties free from attachment and aversion (rāga-dveṣa). By adhering to these disciplines, even the gods attained sovereignty and divine prosperity.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• कर्माणि: actions, deeds
• कर्माणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• कुर्वन्ति: they do, perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• संसार-विजिगीषवः: desirous of conquering the world/cycle of existence
• संसार-विजिगीषवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विजिगीषु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राग-द्वेष-विनिर्मुक्ताः: freed from attachment and aversion
• राग-द्वेष-विनिर्मुक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनिर्मुक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ऐश्वर्यम्: lordship, sovereignty, prosperity
• ऐश्वर्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐश्वर्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• देवताः: the gods, deities
• देवताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• गताः: have gone to / have attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: गत
• Form: Perfect participle (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शौनक (Śaunaka)
• देवता (the gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should perform one’s duties while being free from attachment (rāga) and aversion (dveṣa). Such disciplined, impartial action is presented as a means to overcome saṁsāra and as a proven path to excellence, since even the gods are said to have attained aiśvarya by following these principles.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka states a general ethical maxim: aspirants who wish to overcome worldly bondage act without rāga and dveṣa, and this rule-based discipline is validated by the example of the gods attaining divine sovereignty through it.