Shloka 18

Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption

Devanagari script

धर्मश्चार्थश्॒ कामश्च त्रितयं जीविते फलम्‌

Transliteration

dharmaś cārthaś ca kāmaś ca tritayaṃ jīvite phalam

Translation

ユディシュティラは言った。「ダルマ（dharma）、アルタ（artha）、カーマ（kāma）——この三つこそ、人の生の果実である。」

Word by Word

• धर्मः: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• अर्थः: wealth, purpose
• अर्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• कामः: desire, pleasure
• कामः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• त्रितयम्: the triad, the set of three
• त्रितयम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जीविते: in life
• जीविते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms the classical triad (trivarga)—dharma (ethical duty), artha (worldly welfare), and kāma (legitimate enjoyment)—as the meaningful outcomes of human life, implying that a well-lived life integrates moral order, practical prosperity, and regulated desire.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks in a reflective, inquiry-driven mode, articulating a concise principle about life’s aims as part of broader instruction on conduct and values.