Shloka 18

पाण्डोः श्राद्धं, सत्यवत्याः वनगमनम्, बाल्यस्पर्धा च

Pāṇḍu’s Śrāddha, Satyavatī’s Withdrawal, and Childhood Rivalry

Devanagari script

तासु चाप्यनवस्थासू त्यक्तसर्वेन्द्रियक्रिय: । सम्परित्यक्तधर्मार्थ: सुनिर्णिक्तात्मकल्मष:,जीवित पुरुषोंद्वारा अपने अभ्युदयके लिये जो-जो कर्म किये जा सकते हैं, उन समस्त सकाम कर्मोंको मैं त्याग दूँगा; क्योंकि वे सब कालसे सीमित हैं। अनित्य फल देनेवाली क्रियाओंके लिये जो सम्पूर्ण इन्द्रियोंद्वारा चेष्टा की जाती है, उस चेष्टाको भी मैं सर्वथा त्याग दूँगा; धर्मके फलको भी छोड़ दूँगा। अपने अन्तःकरणके मलको सर्वथा धोकर शुद्ध हो जाऊँगा

Transliteration

tāsu cāpyanavasthāsu tyaktasarvendriyakriyaḥ | samparityaktadharmārthaḥ sunirṇiktātmakalmaṣaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «En medio de aquellas condiciones inestables e inciertas, se volvió alguien que había abandonado las actividades de todos los sentidos. Renunciando incluso a los fines del dharma y del artha, resolvió limpiar por completo las manchas de su interior, buscando la pureza íntima antes que cualquier recompensa perecedera, atada al tiempo.»

Word by Word

तासुin those

चand

अपिalso/even

अनवस्थासुin unstable conditions

त्यक्तhaving abandoned

सर्वेन्द्रियक्रियःwhose actions of all senses (are abandoned)

सम्परित्यक्तcompletely renounced

धर्मार्थःone whose aim is dharma (or: the purpose of dharma)

सुनिर्णिक्तwell-cleansed

आत्मकल्मषःone whose inner impurity (is cleansed); impurity of the self/mind

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes radical detachment: when circumstances are unstable, one may turn inward—restraining sense-driven activity and relinquishing even socially valued aims (dharma and artha)—to focus on cleansing inner impurity and attaining moral-spiritual clarity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a shift in a character’s orientation: faced with unsettled conditions, the person withdraws from outward pursuits and sense-based actions, choosing purification of the self over the pursuit of worldly or even duty-based rewards.