Shloka 23

कालनियमः शोकशमनं च

Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief

Devanagari script

अधन: कस्य किं वाच्यो विमुक्त: सर्वश: सुखी । देवस्वमुपगृहीव धनेन न सुखी भवेत्‌

Transliteration

adhanaḥ kasya kiṁ vācyo vimuktaḥ sarvaśaḥ sukhī | devasvam upagṛhīva dhanena na sukhī bhavet ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Que peut-on dire à un homme sans fortune, ou que peut-on lui réclamer ? Affranchi de toute crainte, il vit heureux. Quand bien même on s’emparerait des biens des dieux, on ne deviendrait pas heureux par la richesse.»

Word by Word

• अधनः: poor, without wealth
• अधनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कस्य: of whom? / for whom?
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• वाच्यः: to be spoken/called; speakable
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाच्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, gerundive (potential passive participle) from √वच्

• विमुक्तः: freed, released
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, past passive participle from √मुच् with vi-

• सर्वशः: entirely, in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशस्

• सुखी: happy
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• देवस्वम्: property of the gods (temple/holy property)
• देवस्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवस्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपगृह्य: having taken/appropriated
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपगृह्य
• Form: absolutive (gerund) from √ग्रह् with upa-

• धनेन: by/with wealth
• धनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

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

• सुखी: happy
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुखिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would be / could become
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• devasva (property of the gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Happiness is not guaranteed by wealth; craving and the burdens of possession breed fear and unrest. Even unethical acquisition—symbolized by taking what belongs to the gods—cannot produce true contentment, whereas freedom from attachment can bring ease.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration within the Śānti Parva’s moral instruction, a reflective maxim is stated: the poor are difficult to pressure or hold to worldly expectations, and a person unencumbered by possessions may live more fearlessly; wealth, even when gained by wrongdoing, does not ensure happiness.