Shloka 57

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

पानीयस्य गुणा दिव्या: प्रेतलोकसुखावहा:,जलदान करनेका प्रभाव अत्यन्त अलौकिक है। वह परलोकमें सुख पहुँचानेवाला है। जो जलदान करते हैं उन पुण्यात्माओंके लिये उस मार्ममें पुष्पोदका नामवाली नदी प्राप्त होती है। वे उसका शीतल और अमृतके समान मधुर जल पीते हैं

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: pānīyasya guṇā divyāḥ pretalokasukhāvahāḥ; jaladāna-karaṇe kā prabhāvaḥ atyantaṃ alaukikaḥ, sa paraloke sukhaṃ prāpayati. ye jaladānaṃ kurvanti teṣāṃ puṇyātmanāṃ mārge puṣpodakā nāma nadī prāpyate; te tasyāḥ śītalaṃ amṛtasamaṃ madhuraṃ jalaṃ pibanti.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “The virtues of offering drinking water are divine and bring happiness in the realm of the departed. The power of giving water is truly extraordinary; it bestows comfort in the world beyond. For those righteous souls who give water, a river called Puṣpodakā is obtained on their path; they drink its cool water, sweet like nectar.”

Word by Word

• पानीयस्य: of water / of drinking-water
• पानीयस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पानीय
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• गुणाः: qualities, merits
• गुणाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दिव्याः: divine, wondrous
• दिव्याः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रेतलोकसुखावहाः: bringing happiness in the world of the departed (afterlife)
• प्रेतलोकसुखावहाः: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेतलोक-सुख-आवह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Preta-loka (realm of the departed)
• Para-loka (afterlife)
• Puṣpodakā river
• Jala-dāna (gift of water)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Giving drinking water (jala-dāna) is presented as a highly meritorious act: it is compassionate in this world and yields comfort and auspicious support in the afterlife, symbolized by access to a refreshing, nectar-like river on the soul’s journey.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the spiritual efficacy of water-charity, explaining that those who donate water gain post-mortem benefit: on their path they reach the river Puṣpodakā and drink its cool, sweet, nectar-like water.