Shloka 87

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

नाध्यापनाद्‌ याजनाद्‌ वा अन्यस्माद्‌ वा प्रतिग्रहात्‌ | दोषो भवति विप्राणां ज्वलिताग्निसमा द्विजा:,वे संध्योपासक ब्राह्मण प्रज्वयलित अग्निके समान तेजस्वी होते हैं। पढ़ाने, यज्ञ कराने अथवा दूसरेसे दान लेनेके कारण भी उन्हें दोष नहीं छू सकता (क्योंकि वे उनकी जीविकाके कर्म हैं)

Transliteration

nādhyāpanād yājanād vā anyasmād vā pratigrahāt | doṣo bhavati viprāṇāṁ jvalitāgnisamā dvijāḥ ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “For brāhmaṇas, no moral taint arises from teaching, from officiating at sacrifices, or from accepting gifts in other proper ways. Such twice-born men, devoted to their rites, are like blazing fire—radiant and purifying—so these livelihood-duties do not stain them.”

Word by Word

नnot

अध्यापनात्from teaching (as a cause/source)

याजनात्from officiating sacrifices (for others)

वाor

अन्यस्मात्from something else/other (source)

वाor

प्रतिग्रहात्from accepting gifts

दोषःfault, blemish

भवतिarises/is (there is)

विप्राणाम्of the Brahmins

ज्वलितblazing

अग्निfire

समाःequal to, like

द्विजाःtwice-born (Brahmins)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas)

agni (fire)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts that a brāhmaṇa is not morally tainted by the traditional livelihood-duties of teaching, officiating sacrifices, and accepting appropriate gifts; when performed as dharma, these acts are purifying and legitimate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is articulating a dharma-principle about brāhmaṇas, defending the propriety of their sanctioned occupations and comparing such disciplined twice-born men to blazing fire that remains pure while purifying others.