Shloka 26

Nakula’s Counsel on Yajña, Dāna, and Tyāga (नकुलोपदेशः—यज्ञदानत्यागविचारः)

Devanagari script

स रत्नानि विचित्राणि संहृतानि ततस्तत: । मखेष्वनभिसंत्यज्य नास्तिक्यमभिजल्पसि,इधर-उधरसे जो विचित्र रत्न संग्रह करके लाये गये हैं, उनका यज्ञोंमें वितरण न करके आप नास्तिकताकी बातें कर रहे हैं

Transliteration

sa ratnāni vicitrāṇi saṁhṛtāni tatastataḥ | makheṣv anabhisaṁtyajya nāstikyam abhijalpasi ||

Translation

Nakula dijo: «Estas diversas gemas preciosas han sido reunidas de aquí y de allá; y, sin embargo, sin distribuirlas en los ritos sacrificiales, pronuncias palabras de incredulidad. Acaparar lo reunido y luego negar el orden sagrado es una incoherencia ante el dharma.»

Word by Word

सःhe

रत्नानिgems, jewels

विचित्राणिvariegated, wonderful

संहृतानिcollected, brought together

ततःfrom there, thence

मखेषुin sacrifices

अनभिसंत्यज्यwithout distributing/without giving away (having not bestowed)

नास्तिक्यम्atheism, denial (of Veda/rites)

अभिजल्पसिyou speak, you utter

Speaker

नकुल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nakula

ratnāni (gems/jewels)

makha (sacrificial rite/yajña)

nāstikya (disbelief)

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?

Wealth gathered from many sources should be aligned with dharma through sacrificial giving and charitable distribution; hoarding while professing disbelief is portrayed as a moral contradiction and a failure of social-religious duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nakula rebukes the addressee for collecting valuable gems but not allocating them for sacrificial rites, and then speaking in a manner that denies or disparages religious duty (nāstikya).