Shloka 8

Adhyaya 34 — Madālāsā’s Instruction on Sadācāra (Householder Conduct, Purity, and Daily Rites)

Sanskrit

दुराचारो हि पुरुषो नेहायुर् विन्दते महत् ।

कार्यॊ यत्नः सदाचारॆ आचारो हन्त्यलक्षणम् ॥

Transliteration

durācāro hi puruṣo nehāyur vindate mahat | kāryo yatnaḥ sadācāre ācāro hanty alakṣaṇam ||

Translation

ದುಷ್ಟಾಚಾರಿಯು ಈ ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ದೀರ್ಘಾಯುಷ್ಯವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಸದಾಚಾರಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಿಸಬೇಕು; ಸದಾಚಾರವು ದುರ್ಭಾಗ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಅಶುಭವನ್ನು ನಾಶಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ.

Word by Word

• durācāraḥ: bad conduct; a wicked (man)
• durācāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dur-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + आचार)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic/causal sense

• puruṣaḥ: a man, person
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• iha: here, in this world
• iha: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of place/time

• āyuḥ: life-span, longevity
• āyuḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• vindate: obtains, finds
• vindate: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद्) (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahat: great, long (i.e., long life)
• mahat: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with āyuḥ

• kāryaḥ: to be done, should be undertaken
• kāryaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ + यत्)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); gerundive (कर्तव्य/भाव्य) qualifying yatnaḥ

• yatnaḥ: effort
• yatnaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sadācāre: in good conduct
• sadācāre: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location-sphere)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक; सत् + आचार)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन)

• ācāraḥ: conduct, practice
• ācāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• hanti: destroys
• hanti: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (हन्) (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• alakṣaṇam: misfortune; ill-omen; bad mark
• alakṣaṇam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; अ- + लक्षण)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Unspecified instructor to a younger listener (vocative context continues as 'putraka' in next verse); part of dharma-teaching discourse

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "dharma", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Dharma
• Sadācāra
• Ethics
• Karmic Consequences

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Ācāra (lived conduct) is treated as a root-support of dharma: misconduct shortens wellbeing and life, while disciplined good conduct removes inauspicious conditions and supports prosperity and longevity.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This is not a pañcalakṣaṇa topic (sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita). It belongs to ancillary dharma-śikṣā (normative instruction) embedded within the Purāṇa.

What is the esoteric significance?

Ācāra functions as an inner ‘protective field’: aligning action, speech, and mind with sattva is portrayed as removing ‘alakṣaṇa’—the subtle patterns that attract disorder and suffering.