Shloka 18

कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः

Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time

Devanagari script

यह दान, धर्म और तपस्यासे युक्त तथा शील, शौच और दयामय मार्ग है। मनुष्यको जीविका एवं धर्मके लिये सदा ही इस मार्गका सेवन करना चाहिये। जो स्वर्गलोकमें निवास करना चाहता हो, उनके लिये सेवन करनेयोग्य इससे बढ़कर उत्कृष्ट मार्ग नहीं है ।।

Transliteration

yaḥ dāna-dharma-tapasā yuktaḥ tathā śīla-śauca-dayāmayaḥ mārgaḥ | manuṣyeṇa jīvikāyai dharmāya ca sadā eva asya mārgasya sevanam kartavyam | yaḥ svargaloke nivāsaṃ icchati, tasya sevanīyāt asmat paraṃ utkṛṣṭataraḥ mārgaḥ na asti || umovāca: vācā tu baddhyate yena mucyate ’pi athavā punaḥ | tāni karmāṇi me deva vada bhūtapate ’nagha ||

Translation

Maheshvara dit : « Voici la voie pourvue de don, de dharma et d’ascèse — marquée par la bonne conduite, la pureté et la compassion. L’homme doit toujours suivre cette voie, tant pour vivre que pour le dharma. Pour qui souhaite demeurer au ciel, il n’est pas de manière de vivre plus haute ni plus excellente que celle-ci. » Uma dit : « Ô Deva, par quelle sorte de parole l’on est lié, et par quelle sorte l’on est délivré ? Dis-moi ces actes, ô Seigneur des êtres, ô sans tache. »

Word by Word

• {'dāna': 'gift, charity

• generous giving', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• moral and social order', 'tapas (tapasā)': 'austerity

• disciplined spiritual effort', 'yukta': 'endowed with

• possessed of', 'śīla': 'good character

• ethical conduct', 'śauca': 'purity

• cleanliness (outer and inner)', 'dayā-maya': 'full of compassion

• compassionate in nature', 'mārga': 'path

• way of life', 'jīvikā': 'livelihood

• means of living', 'sevana': 'practice

• cultivation', 'svarga-loka': 'heavenly world

• realm of merit', 'nivāsa': 'dwelling

• residence', 'vāc (vācā)': 'speech

• words', 'baddhyate': 'is bound

• becomes fettered', 'mucyate': 'is released

• is freed', 'karmāṇi': 'actions

• deeds', 'deva': 'god

• lord (address to Maheshvara)', 'bhūta-pati': 'lord of beings/creatures

• epithet of Shiva', 'anagha': 'sinless

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Mahēśvara (Shiva)
• Umā (Pārvatī)
• Svargaloka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse praises an ethical way of life—charity, dharma, austerity, good conduct, purity, and compassion—as the सर्वोत्तम मार्ग (best path), beneficial both for sustaining life rightly and for attaining heavenly merit. It then pivots to a moral inquiry: speech can either bind or liberate, so one should learn which kinds of words and actions lead to bondage versus freedom.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheshvara concludes a teaching by affirming an ideal dharmic path. Immediately after, Uma asks a follow-up question, requesting instruction on how speech functions ethically and spiritually—how words can cause bondage or bring release—and asks Maheshvara, as ‘Lord of beings,’ to explain the relevant actions.