Mahabharata 3.201.55 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 55

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

Devanagari script

गोप्रदास्तु सुखं यान्ति निर्मुक्ता: सर्वपातकै: । विमानै्हससंयुक्तैर्यान्ति मासोपवासिन:

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: gopradās tu sukhaṃ yānti nirmuktāḥ sarvapātakaiḥ | vimānaiḥ haṃsasaṃyuktair yānti māsopavāsinaḥ ||

Translation

វៃសម្បាយនៈបានមានព្រះវាចា៖ អ្នកដែលធ្វើទានគោ ទៅដោយសេចក្តីសុខ ដោយបានរួចផុតពីបាបទាំងអស់។ ហើយអ្នកដែលបានអនុវត្តវ្រតអត់អាហាររយៈមួយខែ ត្រូវបានដឹកនាំដោយរថអាកាសទេវតា ដែលចងភ្ជាប់ដោយហង្ស។

Word by Word

• गोप्रदाः: givers of cows
• गोप्रदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-प्रदा (गो + प्रदा)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सुखम्: happiness; comfortably
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यान्ति: go
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (याति)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• निर्मुक्ताः: freed, released
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मुक्त (नि + √मुच्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वपातकैः: from all sins
• सर्वपातकैः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वपातक (सर्व + पातक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Plural

• विमानैः: by aerial chariots
• विमानैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• हंससंयुक्तैः: yoked/connected with swans
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हंससंयुक्त (हंस + संयुक्त)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• यान्ति: go, travel
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (याति)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मासोपवासिनः: those who fast for a month
• मासोपवासिनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मासोपवासिन् (मास + उपवासिन्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• cow (go)
• vimāna (celestial chariot)
• haṃsa (swan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links ethical generosity (go-dāna) and disciplined austerity (a month-long fast) with spiritual purification and auspicious posthumous destiny, presenting dharma as both compassionate giving and self-restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the fruits of specific dharmic acts: cow-donors attain a happy passage freed from sins, while month-long fasters are poetically said to journey in swan-yoked celestial chariots, emphasizing the exalted reward of tapas.