Shloka 60

Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

वर्तसे मोक्षधर्मेण त्वं गार्हस्थ्येड5हमाश्रमे । अयं चापि सुकष्टस्ते द्वितीयो55श्रमसंकर:

Transliteration

vartase mokṣa-dharmeṇa tvaṃ gārhasthye ’ham āśrame | ayaṃ cāpi su-kaṣṭas te dvitīyo ’śrama-saṅkaraḥ ||

Translation

Tu vis selon le dharma qui mène à la délivrance, tout en demeurant dans l’état de maître de maison. Pourtant, cela aussi est pour toi une chose très difficile : la seconde complication, à savoir le mélange (ou la confusion) des āśramas (āśrama-saṅkara).

Word by Word

• वर्तसे: you live/abide, you conduct yourself
• वर्तसे: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (वर्तते)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, मध्यम, एकवचन

• मोक्षधर्मेण: by/according to the dharma of liberation
• मोक्षधर्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्षधर्म
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गार्हस्थ्ये: in the householder-state
• गार्हस्थ्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गार्हस्थ्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• आश्रमे: in the āśrama (stage of life)
• आश्रमे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• सुकष्टः: very difficult
• सुकष्टः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुकष्ट
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ते: for you/to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• द्वितीयः: second
• द्वितीयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• आश्रमसंकरः: mixing/confusion of āśramas (stages of life)
• आश्रमसंकरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रमसंकर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janaka
• āśrama (life-stage system)
• gārhasthya (householder stage)
• mokṣa-dharma (path/dharma of liberation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Liberation-oriented discipline (mokṣa-dharma) can be pursued even within the householder stage, but it is exceptionally demanding because it risks an ‘āśrama-saṅkara’—a problematic blending of duties and disciplines meant for different life-stages.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janaka addresses the interlocutor, acknowledging their commitment to mokṣa-dharma while living as a householder, and points out the difficulty of maintaining clarity and consistency when householder obligations and renunciant ideals become intermingled.