Shloka 12

परिव्राजक-आचारः (Conduct of the Wandering Renunciant) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 269

Devanagari script

सत्यं हि धर्ममास्थाय दुराधर्षतमा मता: । न मात्रामनुरुध्यन्ते न धर्मच्छलमन्ततः

Transliteration

satyaṁ hi dharmam āsthāya durādharṣatamā matāḥ | na mātrām anurudhyante na dharmacchalam antataḥ ||

Translation

Car, établis dans la vérité comme dans leur propre dharma, on les tenait pour absolument inattaquables. Ils ne cédaient pas d’un seul degré, et même à l’extrémité dernière ils ne recouraient pas à la ruse au nom du dharma.

Word by Word

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आस्थाय: having resorted to / having adopted
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• दुराधर्षतमाः: most unassailable/most formidable
• दुराधर्षतमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुराधर्षतमा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मताः: considered/deemed
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• मात्राम्: a measure; even a little
• मात्राम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्रा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अनुरुध्यन्ते: they comply/yield (to)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-रुध्
• Form: Lat (present), Atmanepada, Third, Plural, Active (Atmanepada)

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

• धर्मच्छलम्: deceit/pretext in the name of dharma
• धर्मच्छलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मच्छल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अन्ततः: in the end; at the last moment
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्ततः

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kapila

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True strength is moral: those who take truth as their dharma become ‘unassailable’ because they refuse compromise and reject any deceit that masquerades as righteousness, even under extreme pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kapila is describing the character of exemplary practitioners of dharma: they are known for unwavering adherence to truth, do not bend even slightly, and do not employ ‘dharma-pretexts’ (dharmacchala) to justify wrongdoing, even at the point of death.