Mahabharata 3.201.35 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 35

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

तस्मात्‌ त्वं सर्वदानानि हित्वान्नं सम्प्रयच्छ ह

Transliteration

tasmāt tvaṁ sarvadānāni hitvānnaṁ samprayaccha ha

Translation

C’est pourquoi, mets de côté tout autre don et, en tout temps, offre de la nourriture — donne ce qui soutient la vie.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, ablative, singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: nominative, singular

• सर्वदानानि: all gifts/charities
• सर्वदानानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वदान
• Form: neuter, accusative, plural

• हित्वा: having abandoned; giving up
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (त्यागे)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• सम्प्रयच्छ: give; bestow (properly)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-यम् (यच्छति)
• Form: imperative, second, singular, parasmaipada

• ह: indeed; surely (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Markandeya teaches that among charitable acts, giving food (annadāna) is paramount because it directly sustains life; one should prioritize nourishment over other gifts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Markandeya is delivering moral instruction within the Vana Parva context, urging the listener to practice dharma through consistent food-giving, presented as a decisive recommendation (“therefore… indeed”).