Shloka 42

कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः

Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas

Devanagari script

अथान्तरिक्षे वागासीत्‌ तां च शुश्राव जाजलि: । धर्मेण न समस्त्वं वै तुलाधारस्य जाजले

Transliteration

athāntarikṣe vāg āsīt tāṃ ca śuśrāva jājaliḥ | dharmeṇa na samas tvaṃ vai tulādhārasya jājale ||

Translation

Entonces se alzó una voz en el cielo, y Jājali la oyó: «Oh Jājali, en dharma no eres igual a Tulādhāra. En Kāśī habita el mercader Tulādhāra, de gran saber. Oh el mejor de los brāhmaṇas, ni siquiera ese Tulādhāra podría hablar como tú estás hablando». Así oyó Jājali la proclamación celestial, que refrena su autosuficiencia.

Word by Word

• {'atha': 'then, now', 'antarikṣe': 'in the mid-air, in the sky', 'vāk': 'speech, voice', 'āsīt': 'arose

• was', 'tām': 'that (voice)', 'śuśrāva': 'heard', 'jājaliḥ / jājale': 'Jājali (sage

• vocative: O Jājali)', 'dharmeṇa': 'in/with respect to dharma

• by righteousness', 'na samas': 'not equal', 'tvaṃ': 'you', 'vai': 'indeed, surely', 'tulādhārasya': 'of Tulādhāra', 'kāśī': 'Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)', 'mahājñānī': 'greatly wise, possessing profound knowledge', 'vaiśyaḥ': 'a merchant

• member of the Vaiśya class', 'pratiṣṭhitaḥ': 'established, renowned, residing with standing', 'vipravara': 'best of brāhmaṇas'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Jājali
• Tulādhāra
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• ākāśavāṇī (heavenly voice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True dharma is not validated by one’s own claims or status; it is measured by deeper ethical maturity. The heavenly voice punctures Jājali’s self-satisfaction and points him toward Tulādhāra, implying that humility and lived moral insight can surpass mere ascetic or rhetorical confidence.

What is happening in the narrative?

A celestial voice addresses Jājali directly, declaring that he is not equal in dharma to the merchant-sage Tulādhāra who resides in Kāśī. The proclamation functions as a corrective and a narrative cue, directing Jājali toward Tulādhāra for further instruction.