Shloka 50

Devanagari script

मुहूर्त सुखमेवैतत्‌ तालच्छायेव हैमनी । यजध्वं च महायज्ञजैभोंगानश्रीत दत्त च

Transliteration

muhūrta-sukham evaitat tāla-chāyeva haimanī | yajadhvaṃ ca mahā-yajñaiḥ bhogān aśnīta datta ca |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Esta dicha es solo momentánea, como la sombra fugaz de una palmera en invierno. Por ello, celebrad grandes sacrificios; gozad de los placeres que os corresponden y dad también en caridad.»

Word by Word

मुहूर्तfor a moment / momentary

सुखम्happiness, comfort

एवindeed, only

एतत्this

तालच्छायाthe shade of a palmyra tree

इवlike, as if

हैमनीin winter / wintry

यजध्वम्you all perform sacrifice

चand

महायज्ञin/at the great sacrifice

एभ्यःfrom these

भोगान्enjoyments, pleasures

आश्रिताःhaving resorted to / dependent on

दत्तgiven / bestowed

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly happiness is transient; therefore one should not cling to it. The verse urges a dharmic response to impermanence: uphold sacred duties (yajña), partake of legitimate enjoyments without excess, and practice generosity (dāna).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana delivers a reflective instruction emphasizing the short-lived nature of pleasure, using a simile of fleeting shade, and then exhorts the audience to engage in great sacrificial rites, enjoy appropriately, and give in charity—framing conduct in terms of dharma.