Shloka 963

Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda

Grief

Devanagari script

एकपनन्‍न्यश्न या नार्यों याश्व॒ सत्यं वदन्त्युत । “ब्रह्मम! समाजमें सदा आदर पानेवाली सदाचारिणी स्त्रियाँ जो महान्‌ कार्य करती हैं वह अत्यन्त कठिन है। जो लोग पिता-माताकी सेवा करते हैं उनका कर्म भी बहुत कठिन है। पतिव्रता तथा सत्यवादिनी स्त्रियाँ अत्यन्त कठोर धर्मका पालन करती हैं

Transliteration

ekapannāśnī yā nāryo yāś ca satyaṃ vadanty uta |

Translation

Waiśampāyana berkata: “Perempuan yang mengekang diri dalam makan dan laku, serta mereka yang berkata benar, menegakkan disiplin yang berat. Perempuan-perempuan saleh yang dihormati di masyarakat itu melakukan hal yang amat sukar; sebagaimana mereka yang melayani ayah dan ibu pun memikul kewajiban yang berat. Seorang istri yang setia dan perempuan yang jujur, dengan teguh menapaki dharma, menjalankan jalan moral yang keras.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'ekapannāśnī (एकपन्नाश्नी)', 'definition': 'a woman who eats sparingly/with restraint

• one observing strict dietary discipline (austerity)'}, {'term': 'nāryaḥ (नार्यः)', 'definition': 'women'}, {'term': 'satyaṃ vadanti (सत्यं वदन्ति)', 'definition': 'speak truth

• are truthful'}, {'term': 'uta (उत)', 'definition': 'and also

• moreover'}, {'term': 'patīvratā (पतिव्रता)', 'definition': 'a wife devoted to her husband

• one who keeps the vow of fidelity and service'}, {'term': 'dharma (धर्म)', 'definition': 'moral law

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• virtuous women (nāryaḥ)
• father (pitā)
• mother (mātā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the difficulty and moral strength involved in living truthfully, practicing restraint, serving one’s parents, and observing the pativratā ideal—presenting these as rigorous forms of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, generalizes about exemplary conduct: he praises socially honoured virtuous women and those devoted to parents, emphasizing that such ethical commitments are demanding and constitute a hard discipline.