Shloka 39

Devanagari script

निवृत्तिलक्षणो धर्मस्तथा5< भ्युदयिको5पि च । नराणामयनं ख्यातमहमेक: सनातन:,भारत! मैं अध्यात्मयोगोंको जानता हूँ तथा मैं कौन हूँ और कहाँसे आया हूँ--इस बातका भी मुझे ज्ञान है। लौकिक अभ्युदयका साधक प्रवृत्तिधर्म ओर नि:श्रेयस प्रदान करनेवाला निवृत्तिधर्म भी मुझसे अज्ञात नहीं है। एकमात्र मैं सनातन पुरुष ही सम्पूर्ण मनुष्योंका सुविख्यात आश्रयभूत नारायण हूँ

Transliteration

nivṛttilakṣaṇo dharmas tathābhyudayiko 'pi ca | narāṇām ayanaṃ khyātam aham ekaḥ sanātanaḥ ||

Translation

Dharma yang berciri pelepasan (nivṛtti) dan dharma yang membawa kemajuan (abhyudaya) melalui keterlibatan (pravṛtti)—keduanya Kuketahui. Akulah satu-satunya Yang Kekal, termasyhur sebagai tempat berlindung dan tujuan akhir semua manusia.

Word by Word

निवृत्ति-लक्षणःhaving withdrawal (nivṛtti) as its mark

धर्मःdharma, duty/law

तथाand likewise

अभ्युदयिकःleading to worldly prosperity (abhyudaya)

अपिalso

चand

नराणाम्of men, of humans

अयनम्refuge, resort; course/way

ख्यातम्well-known, renowned

अहम्I

एकःone, sole

सनातनःeternal

भारतO Bhārata!

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts two complementary orientations of dharma: nivṛtti (renunciatory discipline aimed at liberation) and abhyudaya (engaged duty aimed at worldly flourishing). It presents the ultimate ground of both as the eternal, singular refuge of beings—identified in the received tradition with Nārāyaṇa.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shānti Parva’s didactic setting, a speaker identified here as Arjuna voices a theological claim of comprehensive knowledge of both paths of dharma and declares the ultimate refuge of humans to be the eternal One (understood by the accompanying tradition as Nārāyaṇa).