Mahabharata 3.201.40 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

येषां तटाकानि महोदकानि वाप्यश्च कूपाश्च प्रतिश्रयाश्व अन्नस्य दानं मधुरा च वाणी यमस्य ते निर्वचना भवन्ति

Transliteration

yeṣāṃ taṭākāni mahodakāni vāpyāś ca kūpāś ca pratiśrayāś ca | annasya dānaṃ madhurā ca vāṇī yamasya te nirvacanā bhavanti ||

Translation

ມາຣະກັນເດຍ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ຜູ້ໃດກໍ່ໃຫ້ສ້າງສະຫຼອງນ້ຳລຶກທີ່ເຕັມນ້ຳ—ພ້ອມທັງບໍ່ນ້ຳຂັ້ນ (stepwell), ບໍ່ນ້ຳ, ແລະ ທີ່ພັກພິງສຳລັບຜູ້ເດີນທາງ—ຜູ້ໃຫ້ທານອາຫານ ແລະ ເວົ້າຈາອ່ອນຫວານ; ສຳລັບພວກເຂົາ ອຳນາດຂອງພຣະຍະມະ (Yama) ກໍບໍ່ອາດໃຊ້ການໄດ້. ຄືວ່າ ພວກເຂົາບໍ່ຈຳເປັນຕ້ອງໄດ້ຍິນແມ່ນແຕ່ຄຳເອີ້ນຂອງພຣະຍະມະ, ເພາະບຸນນັ້ນນຳພາເຂົາໃຫ້ພົ້ນຈາກອຳນາດລົງໂທດ»។

Word by Word

• येषाम्: of whom/whose
• येषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: —, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• तटाकानि: ponds
• तटाकानि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तटाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• महोदकानि: having great water / deep-watered
• महोदकानि: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महोदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वाप्यः: tanks/reservoirs
• वाप्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वापी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• कूपाः: wells
• कूपाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• प्रतिश्रयाः: shelters/rest-houses
• प्रतिश्रयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• अन्नस्य: of food
• अन्नस्य: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• दानम्: gift/giving
• दानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मधुरा: sweet
• मधुरा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वाणी: speech
• वाणी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• ते: they/those (people)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• निर्वचनाः: free from (Yama’s) words/commands; not addressed (by Yama)
• निर्वचनाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भवन्ति: become/are
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम, बहुवचन

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Yama
• taṭāka (tanks/ponds)
• vāpī (stepwells)
• kūpa (wells)
• pratiśraya (shelters/dharmasālās)
• annadāna (food charity)
• madhurā vāṇī (sweet speech)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public-benefit gifts (water sources and shelters), food charity, and gentle speech are presented as powerful forms of dharma whose merit protects a person from Yama’s punitive authority—emphasizing that sustaining life, easing travel, and practicing kindness in word and deed are among the highest ethical acts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing his listeners on the fruits of righteous conduct. He lists concrete, socially sustaining actions—building waterworks and shelters, giving food, and speaking kindly—and declares that such people are not subject to Yama’s summons or punishment, highlighting the moral economy of karma and merit.