Shloka 11

Brāhmaṇa-Dharma, Āśrama Eligibility, and the Primacy of Rāja-Dharma (Śānti Parva 63)

Devanagari script

अन्तवन्ति प्रधानानि पुरा श्रेयस्कराणि च । स्वकर्मनिरतो लोके हा॒क्षर: सर्वतोमुख:,पहलेके जो कल्याणकारी और अमड्रलकारी शुभाशुभ कर्म हैं, वे ही प्रधान होकर इस शरीरका निर्माण करते हैं। इस शरीरके साथ ही उनका भी अन्त हो जाता है; परंतु जगतमें अपने वर्णाश्रमोचित कर्मके पालनमें तत्पर रहनेवाला पुरुष तो हर अवस्थामें सर्वव्यापी और अविनाशी ही है

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca — Antavanti pradhānāni purā śreyaskarāṇi ca | svakarmanirato loke hy akṣaraḥ sarvatomukhaḥ ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ສິ່ງທີ່ເຄີຍເປັນປັດໃຈຫຼັກ ແລະເຄີຍນໍາຄວາມເກື້ອກູນມາໃຫ້ ກໍມີຈຸດສິ້ນສຸດ. ແຕ່ຜູ້ໃດໃນໂລກນີ້ທີ່ມຸ່ງໝັ້ນຢູ່ໃນການປະຕິບັດໜ້າທີ່ຂອງຕົນຕາມວັນນະ ແລະ ອາສຣົມ, ຜູ້ນັ້ນໃນທຸກສະພາບການແມ່ນຜູ້ບໍ່ເສື່ອມສະລາຍ—ມີຢູ່ທົ່ວທິດ ແລະຫັນໜ້າໄປທຸກທາງ.»

Word by Word

अन्तवन्तिhaving an end, perishable

प्रधानानिchief, primary

पुराformerly, earlier

श्रेयस्कराणिbeneficial, conducive to welfare

चand

स्वकर्मनिरतःengaged in one’s own duty

लोकेin the world

अक्षरःthe imperishable (one)

सर्वतोमुखःhaving faces on all sides; all-pervading

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly causes and results—even those that seem beneficial—are finite; enduring stability is found in steadfast commitment to one’s rightful duty (svakarma), which aligns a person with the imperishable (akṣara), the all-pervading reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks in a reflective, philosophical mode, contrasting perishable worldly determinants with the imperishable principle associated with dutiful living and spiritual constancy.