Shanti Parva Adhyaya 235 Shloka 21 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अप्लवो हि महादोषं मुहामानो नियच्छति । कामग्राहगृहीतस्य ज्ञानमप्यस्य न प्लव:,जिसके पास ज्ञानमयी नौका नहीं है, वह मोहितचित्त मूढ़ मानव महान्‌ दोषको प्राप्त होता है। कामरूपी ग्राहसे पीड़ित होनेके कारण ज्ञान भी उसके लिये नौका नहीं बन पाता

Transliteration

aplāvo hi mahādoṣaṃ muhāmāno niyacchati | kāmagrāhagṛhītasya jñānam apy asya na plavaḥ ||

Translation

ຜູ້ທີ່ບໍ່ມີພາຫະນະຂ້າມ (ເຮືອ/ແພ) ຈະຖືກພາໄປສູ່ໂທດໃຫຍ່ ເພາະໃຈຫຼົງ ແລະບໍ່ໝັ້ນຄົງ. ເພາະຜູ້ທີ່ຖືກ “ຈະລະເຂ້ແຫ່ງຕັນຫາ” ຈັບໄວ້ ແມ່ນແຕ່ຄວາມຮູ້ເອງກໍບໍ່ອາດເປັນເຮືອຊ່ວຍຊີວິດໃຫ້ເຂົາໄດ້.

Word by Word

अप्लवःwithout a raft/boat (i.e., lacking a means of crossing)

हिindeed/for

महादोषम्great fault/serious defect

मुह्यमानःbeing deluded/confused

नियच्छतिincurs/comes to (lit. reaches, obtains)

कामग्राहगृहीतस्यof one seized by the crocodile of desire

ज्ञानम्knowledge

अपिeven/also

अस्यof him/of this person

नnot

प्लवःa raft/boat (means of crossing)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

kāma (desire) as metaphorical grāha (crocodile)

plava (raft/boat) as metaphor

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Desire can overpower a person so completely that even genuine knowledge fails to protect or guide them; without a practical means of crossing—self-restraint, disciplined practice, and steady discernment—one is led into serious moral error.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa states a moral principle using a vivid metaphor: a person without a raft is swept into danger, and one caught by the ‘crocodile’ of desire cannot use knowledge as a boat. The verse functions as ethical instruction within the reflective teachings of the Śānti Parva.