Shloka 2

नारद-समङ्ग-संवादः — The Nārada–Samaṅga Dialogue on Fearlessness and Equanimity

Devanagari script

येयमर्थोद्धिवा तृष्णा कथमेतां पितामह । निवर्तयेयं पापानि तृष्णया कारिता वयम्‌

Transliteration

yeyaṁ arthodbhavā tṛṣṇā katham etāṁ pitāmaha | nivartayeyam pāpāni tṛṣṇayā kāritā vayam ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Grand-père, comment pourrions-nous revenir en arrière et déraciner cette soif qui naît de la richesse ? Poussés par le désir, nous avons commis des péchés. Par quel moyen mettre un terme à cette soif de profit ?»

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'iyam', 'gloss': 'this (feminine nominative singular)'}, {'term': 'artha', 'gloss': 'wealth

• worldly advantage'}, {'term': 'udbhavā', 'gloss': 'arising from

• originating in'}, {'term': 'tṛṣṇā', 'gloss': 'craving

• insatiable desire'}, {'term': 'katham', 'gloss': 'how? by what means?'}, {'term': 'etām', 'gloss': 'this (accusative singular, referring to tṛṣṇā)'}, {'term': 'pitāmaha', 'gloss': 'grandfather

• Bhīṣma (honorific address)'}, {'term': 'nivartayeyam', 'gloss': 'may I/ we turn back

• may we cause to cease (optative sense)'}, {'term': 'pāpāni', 'gloss': 'sins

• demeritorious deeds'}, {'term': 'tṛṣṇayā', 'gloss': 'by/through craving (instrumental singular)'}, {'term': 'kāritāḥ', 'gloss': 'caused to do

• made to act (passive/causative sense)'}, {'term': 'vayam', 'gloss': 'we'}]

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames wealth-born craving (arthodbhavā tṛṣṇā) as a root cause of moral downfall, and it seeks a dharmic remedy: restraint and inner reversal (nivṛtti) of desire so that sinful action is no longer compelled by greed.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s post-war instruction, Yudhiṣṭhira—burdened by remorse—addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’ and asks how to end the craving for wealth that has driven the Pāṇḍavas into grievous wrongdoing and violence.