Shloka 19

परिव्राजक-आचारः (Conduct of the Wandering Renunciant) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 269

Devanagari script

सर्वमानन्त्यमेवासीदिति नः शाश्वती श्रुति: । तेषामदीनसत्त्वानां दुश्चराचारकर्मणाम्‌

Transliteration

sarvam ānantyam evāsīd iti naḥ śāśvatī śrutiḥ | teṣām adīna-sattvānāṁ duścarācāra-karmaṇām

Translation

Śruti kita yang abadi menyatakan: “Semua ini sungguh tak berbatas.” Namun hanya mereka yang kekuatan batinnya tidak merosot—yang tetap teguh dalam laku yang keras dan perbuatan yang sukar—yang mendekati kebenaran itu.

Word by Word

सर्वम्all, everything

अनन्त्यम्endlessness, infinity

एवindeed, only

आसीत्was, existed

इतिthus (quotative)

नःof us, our

शाश्वतीeternal, perpetual

श्रुतिःrevelation, sacred tradition

तेषाम्of them

अदीनसत्त्वानाम्of those whose courage/being is not depressed; of the undaunted

दुश्चराचारकर्मणाम्of those whose conduct and deeds are hard to practice/perform; of difficult conduct-and-actions

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

śruti (sacred tradition)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kapila invokes śruti to assert that reality is fundamentally ‘boundless’ (ānantya). The verse links this metaphysical claim to ethical-spiritual effort: only the steadfast, undiscouraged practitioner can move toward such truth through rigorous discipline and demanding action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Kapila speaks as a teacher, citing eternal śruti as authority. He contrasts the vastness of ultimate reality with the difficulty of the path, emphasizing the need for unwavering inner strength and austere conduct.