Shloka 3

इन्द्रेण वृत्रवधः, ब्रह्महत्याया अनुगमनम्, तथा च विभाजन-निवासविधानम्

Indra’s defeat of Vṛtra; pursuit by Brahmahatyā; allocation of her abodes

Devanagari script

करणे घटस्य या बुद्धिर्घटोत्पत्ती न सा मता । एवं धर्मभ्युपायेषु नान्यधर्मेषु कारणम्‌

Transliteration

karaṇe ghaṭasya yā buddhir ghaṭotpattau na sā matā | evaṁ dharmābhyupāyeṣu nānyadharmeṣu kāraṇam ||

Translation

घड़े के निर्माण-काल में जिस बुद्धि का उपयोग होता है, घड़ा बन जाने पर वह आवश्यक नहीं रहती। इसी प्रकार चित्त-शुद्धि के साधनरूप यज्ञादि धर्म, अपना प्रयोजन पूर्ण हो जाने पर, मोक्ष-साधनरूप शम-दम आदि अन्य उच्च धर्मों के लिए प्रत्यक्ष कारण नहीं होते; मोक्ष के लिए तो शम, दम आदि पृथक् गुण-धर्म ही उपाय हैं।

Word by Word

• {'karaṇe': 'in the making/doing

• in the process of production', 'ghaṭasya': 'of the pot (ghaṭa)', 'buddhiḥ': 'intelligence, practical understanding, operative know-how', 'yā': 'which', 'ghaṭotpattau': 'upon the arising/production of the pot

• once the pot is produced', 'na': 'not', 'sā': 'that (same)', 'matā': 'considered, held to be', 'evaṁ': 'thus, in the same way', 'dharma-abhyupāyeṣu': 'in the means/expedients that lead to dharma (preparatory religious practices)', 'na-anya-dharmeṣu': 'not (as a cause) in other dharmas

• not for different/other disciplines', 'kāraṇam': 'cause, direct instrument'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• pot (ghaṭa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Preparatory religious acts are useful as means (e.g., for purification), but once their intended result is achieved they are not the direct instrument for the next, higher goal; liberation requires its own specific disciplines such as inner calm and self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva discourse, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and liberation, using the analogy of pot-making to distinguish between preliminary practices and the distinct virtues required for moksha.