Shloka 19

परिव्राजक-आचारः (Conduct of the Wandering Renunciant) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 269

Devanagari script

सर्वमानन्त्यमेवासीदिति नः शाश्वती श्रुति: । तेषामदीनसत्त्वानां दुश्चराचारकर्मणाम्‌

Transliteration

sarvam ānantyam evāsīd iti naḥ śāśvatī śrutiḥ | teṣām adīna-sattvānāṁ duścarācāra-karmaṇām

Translation

«Nuestra eterna tradición sagrada declara: “Todo esto era, en verdad, ilimitado”. Sin embargo, para aquellos cuya fuerza interior no decae—los que perseveran en disciplinas ásperas y modos de vida difíciles—esta verdad se alcanza solo mediante una práctica ardua y obras exigentes.»

Word by Word

सर्वम्all, everything

अनन्त्यम्endlessness, infinity

एवindeed, only

आसीत्was, existed

इतिthus (quotative)

नःof us, our

शाश्वतीeternal, perpetual

श्रुतिःrevelation, sacred tradition

तेषाम्of them

अदीनसत्त्वानाम्of those whose courage/being is not depressed; of the undaunted

दुश्चराचारकर्मणाम्of those whose conduct and deeds are hard to practice/perform; of difficult conduct-and-actions

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

śruti (sacred tradition)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kapila invokes śruti to assert that reality is fundamentally ‘boundless’ (ānantya). The verse links this metaphysical claim to ethical-spiritual effort: only the steadfast, undiscouraged practitioner can move toward such truth through rigorous discipline and demanding action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Kapila speaks as a teacher, citing eternal śruti as authority. He contrasts the vastness of ultimate reality with the difficulty of the path, emphasizing the need for unwavering inner strength and austere conduct.