Shloka 77

Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154

Devanagari script

नैव बाष्पविमोक्षेण न वा श्वासकृते न च

Transliteration

naiva bāṣpavimokṣeṇa na vā śvāsakṛte na ca

Translation

Dijo Jambuka: «No es por el mero derramar de lágrimas, ni por el suspirar o respirar con pesadez, como surge el fruto espiritual que se pretende».

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एव: indeed/just/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• बाष्प-विमोक्षेण: by the letting-out of tears (weeping)
• बाष्प-विमोक्षेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाष्प-विमोक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• श्वास-कृते: in/at (the act of) breathing; in sighing
• श्वास-कृते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वास-कृत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

जम्बुक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Jambuka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

External signs of feeling—such as crying or sighing—are not, by themselves, proof of virtue or a means to attain the ethical/spiritual goal; genuine transformation requires inner discipline and right understanding rather than mere display.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s didactic setting, Jambuka speaks in a teaching tone, dismissing superficial emotional expressions as insufficient, implying that true dharma is measured by conduct and inner realization rather than outward lamentation.