Shloka 9

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

अयं हि दुरनुछ्ठेयो मोक्षधर्म: सनातन:

Transliteration

ayaṃ hi duranuchṭheyo mokṣadharmaḥ sanātanaḥ

Translation

ಜನಮೇಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—“ಈ ಸನಾತನ ಮೋಕ್ಷಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಆಚರಿಸಿ ನೆರವೇರಿಸುವುದು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಕಷ್ಟಕರ.”

Word by Word

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• दुरनुष्ठेयः: difficult to practise/perform
• दुरनुष्ठेयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुरनुष्ठेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मोक्षधर्मः: the dharma (path/discipline) of liberation
• मोक्षधर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्षधर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सनातनः: eternal
• सनातनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• mokṣa-dharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that mokṣa-dharma—the ethical and spiritual discipline aimed at liberation—is perennial yet challenging to put into practice, implying the need for sustained effort, restraint, and clarity of purpose.

What is happening in the narrative?

Janamejaya responds within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation, remarking that the teaching being discussed—mokṣa-dharma—is not easy to undertake, setting up further explanation or guidance from the teacher in the dialogue.