Shloka 59

Devanagari script

अपि चाह ं पुरा विप्रैर्वर्जितो गर्हितो वसे । परोपसेवां पापिष्ठां न च कुर्या धनेप्सया

Transliteration

api cāhaṃ purā viprair varjito garhito vase | paropasevāṃ pāpiṣṭhāṃ na ca kuryā dhanepsayā ||

Translation

And I too once lived, shunned and censured by the brahmins. For the sake of wealth, I would not commit the most sinful act of serving another (in a degrading, dependent way).

Word by Word

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: common, nominative, singular

• पुरा: formerly, once
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• विप्रैः: by Brahmins
• विप्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• वर्जितः: avoided, excluded
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्जित
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• गर्हितः: censured, reproached
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्हित
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• वसे: I dwell/live
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस्
• Form: present indicative, first, singular, parasmaipada

• परोपसेवाम्: service to another (servility)
• परोपसेवाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: परोपसेवा
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• पापिष्ठाम्: most sinful, very wicked
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिष्ठ
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular, superlative

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कुर्याम्: I would do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: optative, first, singular, parasmaipada

• धनेप्सया: through desire for wealth
• धनेप्सया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनेप्सा
• Form: feminine, instrumental, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वैशम्पायन (Vaiśampāyana)
• विप्र (brahmins)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that the pursuit of wealth should not drive one into morally degrading dependence or servile conduct; ethical integrity is to be preserved even at the cost of social hardship.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a first-person reflection: the speaker recalls having once been rejected and criticized by brahmins, yet insists that even then he would not resort to the 'most sinful' kind of dependent service merely to obtain money.