Shloka 68

Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow

Go-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

धन्या वृक्षलताजीव्या वाटीसस्योपजीविनः । अन्न जंतु वधे पापं तस्य दोषोपशांतये

Transliteration

dhanyā vṛkṣalatājīvyā vāṭīsasyopajīvinaḥ | anna jaṃtu vadhe pāpaṃ tasya doṣopaśāṃtaye

Translation

Blessed are those who live by trees and creepers, and those who subsist on garden produce; for in killing creatures for food there is sin—such a diet is for the pacification of that fault.

Word by Word

• धन्याः: blessed
• धन्याः: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); विशेषण

• वृक्ष-लता-जीव्याः: those living on trees and creepers
• वृक्ष-लता-जीव्याः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + लता (प्रातिपदिक) + जीव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वन्द्व-समास (itaretara-dvandva) + जीव्य (those whose livelihood is from trees and creepers)

• वाटी-सस्य-उपजीविनः: those who live by garden produce/crops
• वाटी-सस्य-उपजीविनः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाटी (प्रातिपदिक) + सस्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपजीविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive Tatpuruṣa: 'living by garden-crops')

• अन्न: food (address/mention)
• अन्न: सम्बोधन (Sambodhana/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन/प्रथमा (Vocative/Nominative) एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); here used as address/interjection-like (contextually 'O food' or 'as for food')

• जन्तु-वधे: in killing living beings
• जन्तु-वधे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमीविभक्ति (Locative/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive Tatpuruṣa: 'in the killing of creatures')

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject) (elliptic: 'there is sin')
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• तस्य: of that; its
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• दोष-उपशान्तये: for the appeasement of the दोष (fault)
• दोष-उपशान्तये: सम्प्रदान (Sampradāna/Dative purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक) + उपशान्ति (प्रातिपदिक; √शम् (धातु) से भाव-नाम)
• Form: चतुर्थीविभक्ति (Dative/चतुर्थी), एकवचन (Singular); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive Tatpuruṣa: 'for the pacification of the fault')

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative context not provided in the input excerpt)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: वाटीसस्योपजीविनः = वाटी-सस्य + उपजीविनः; दोषोपशांतये = दोष + उपशान्तये

FAQs

What ethical teaching does this verse give about food?

It teaches that killing living beings for food incurs sin, and praises subsisting on fruits, creepers, and garden produce as a way to reduce or pacify that moral fault.

Does the verse explicitly promote vegetarianism?

Yes in principle: it commends plant-based subsistence (trees, creepers, garden produce) and states that killing creatures for food is sinful.

Who is speaking in this verse of the Padma Purana?

The speaker cannot be reliably identified from the single-verse excerpt alone; the surrounding verses of Adhyaya 48 are needed to confirm the dialogue frame.