Mahabharata 3.201.55 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 55
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
गोप्रदास्तु सुखं यान्ति निर्मुक्ता: सर्वपातकै: । विमानै्हससंयुक्तैर्यान्ति मासोपवासिन:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: gopradās tu sukhaṃ yānti nirmuktāḥ sarvapātakaiḥ | vimānaiḥ haṃsasaṃyuktair yānti māsopavāsinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Ceux qui donnent des vaches s’en vont dans le bonheur, délivrés de toute faute. Et ceux qui observent un jeûne d’un mois poursuivent leur route sur des chars célestes attelés de cygnes, symbole d’un passage pur et sublime.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ethical generosity (go-dāna) and disciplined austerity (a month-long fast) with spiritual purification and auspicious posthumous destiny, presenting dharma as both compassionate giving and self-restraint.
Vaiśampāyana describes the fruits of specific dharmic acts: cow-donors attain a happy passage freed from sins, while month-long fasters are poetically said to journey in swan-yoked celestial chariots, emphasizing the exalted reward of tapas.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.