Shloka 8

कालनियमः शोकशमनं च

Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief

Devanagari script

अवाप्यैतानि कर्माणि वेदोक्तानि धनंजय । दानमध्ययन यज्ञो निग्रहश्रैव दुर्गह:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

avāpyaitāni karmāṇi vedoktāni dhanaṃjaya |

dānam adhyayanaṃ yajño nigrahaś caiva durgahaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Dhanaṃjaya ! Les actes prescrits par les Veda — le don (charité), l’étude, le sacrifice et la maîtrise de soi — sont en vérité difficiles à accomplir. Pourtant, s’appuyant sur ces devoirs védiques avec le désir d’en recueillir les fruits, les hommes gagnent le ciel par la voie méridionale du soleil. J’ai déjà parlé des mondes atteints par ceux qui suivent la voie des rites.»

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'avāpya': 'having undertaken/obtained

• having resorted to', 'etāni': 'these', 'karmāṇi': 'acts, rites, duties', 'vedoktāni': 'enjoined/declared by the Veda', 'dhanaṃjaya': 'O Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna), ‘conqueror of wealth’', 'dānam': 'gift, charity, giving', 'adhyayanam': 'study, recitation/learning (especially of the Veda)', 'yajñaḥ': 'sacrifice, ritual offering', 'nigrahaḥ': 'restraint, self-control, discipline', 'ca eva': 'and indeed', 'durgahaḥ': 'hard to grasp/undertake

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna)
• Veda

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Veda-prescribed duties—charity, sacred study, sacrifice, and self-restraint—are difficult but powerful; when pursued with desire for results, they lead to heavenly attainment, illustrating the fruit-oriented ritual path (karma-mārga).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues an explanatory discourse, addressing Arjuna (Dhanaṃjaya) and summarizing the demanding nature of Vedic practices and the kind of posthumous destination (heaven via the southern course) associated with those who rely on such rites for reward.