Shloka 21

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

Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

यथा सर्वरसैस्तृप्तो नाभिनन्दति किंचन

Transliteration

yathā sarvarasais tṛpto nābhinandati kiñcana

Translation

Chūlādhāra dit : « De même que celui qui a été pleinement rassasié en goûtant toutes les saveurs ne convoite plus rien de particulier, ainsi les sages, ayant atteint le contentement intérieur, ne courent pas après les objets du désir. »

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• सर्वरसैः: by/with all tastes (flavors)
• सर्वरसैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वरस्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तृप्तः: sated, satisfied
• तृप्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• अभिनन्दति: rejoices at, welcomes, approves
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-नन्द्
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• किंचन: anything (at all)
• किंचन: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किंचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

चुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• चुलाधार (Chulādhāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True fulfillment is not increased by chasing particular pleasures; when one is inwardly ‘sated’ (tṛpta), craving and selective attachment fall away. The verse uses the metaphor of tasting all flavors to illustrate the ethical ideal of contentment and non-hankering.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Chulādhāra speaks in a didactic tone, offering a metaphor to explain how a spiritually mature person relates to sense-objects: without excitement, grasping, or preference born of desire.