Shloka 231

Bṛhaspati’s Counsel on Contentment

Santoṣa), Restraint, and Adroha (Non-injury

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि देवस्थानवाक्ये एकविंशो5ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi devastānavākye ekaviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

આ રીતે શ્રીમહાભારતના શાંતિપર્વના રાજધર્માનુશાસનપર્વમાં દેવસ્થાનના વચનોવાળો એકવીસમો અધ્યાય સમાપ્ત થયો.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; end-quote marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्रीमहाभारते: in the revered Mahabharata
• श्रीमहाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शान्तिपर्वणि: in the Shanti Parva
• शान्तिपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तिपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि: in the Parva (section) of instruction on the king's duties
• राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• देवस्थानवाक्ये: in the discourse (called) 'Devastana-vakya'
• देवस्थानवाक्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवस्थानवाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• एकविंशः: twenty-first
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकविंश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

देवस्थान उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Mahābhārata
• Śānti Parva
• Rājadharmānuśāsana Parva
• Devastāna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This line is a colophon rather than a doctrinal verse: it signals that the preceding discourse belongs to the rājadharma instruction within Śānti Parva and that Devastāna’s speech (as framed by the edition) concludes here. The ethical focus indicated is governance guided by dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The text is formally closing a chapter: it identifies the larger work (Mahābhārata), the book (Śānti Parva), the internal section (Rājadharmānuśāsana), the speaker attribution (Devastāna’s words), and the chapter number (21).