Shloka 18

Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga

Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

सत्ययज्ञा दमयज्ञा अर्थलुब्धार्थतृप्तय:

Transliteration

satyayajñā damayajñā arthalubdhārthatṛptayaḥ

Translation

Chūlādhāra dit : « Les uns font de la vérité leur sacrifice, les autres font de la maîtrise de soi leur sacrifice ; certains sont avides de richesses, tandis que d’autres se contentent de ce qu’ils ont. »

Word by Word

• सत्ययज्ञाः: those whose sacrifice is truth / truthful sacrificers
• सत्ययज्ञाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्ययज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दमयज्ञाः: those whose sacrifice is self-control / self-controlled sacrificers
• दमयज्ञाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दमयज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अर्थलुब्धार्थतृप्तयः: both greedy for wealth and satisfied with wealth
• अर्थलुब्धार्थतृप्तयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्थलुब्धार्थतृप्ति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

चुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• चुलाधार (Chūlādhāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse reframes yajña (sacrifice) as an inner ethical discipline: truthfulness and self-restraint are presented as genuine forms of worship, contrasted with two worldly dispositions—greed for wealth and contentment with one’s means—implying that dharma is measured by inner orientation rather than external ritual alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Chūlādhāra is describing different human temperaments and value-systems, highlighting how some people ‘sacrifice’ through virtues like truth and restraint, while others are driven by acquisitiveness or by satisfied moderation.