Shloka 55

Devanagari script

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच श्रेयांसं मार्गमन्विच्छन्‌ सदा य: पृच्छति द्विजान्‌ । धर्मान्विषी गुणाकांक्षी स स्वर्ग समुपाश्षुते

Transliteration

śrīmaheśvara uvāca: śreyāṁsaṁ mārgam anvicchan sadā yaḥ pṛcchati dvijān | dharmānviṣī guṇākāṅkṣī sa svargaṁ samupāśnute ||

Translation

ശ്രീമഹേശ്വരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ശ്രേയസ്സിന്റെ മാർഗം അന്വേഷിച്ച് എപ്പോഴും ദ്വിജന്മാരോട് (വിദ്വാൻ ബ്രാഹ്മണരോട്) ചോദിക്കുന്നവൻ, ധർമ്മാന്വേഷിയും ഗുണാകാംക്ഷിയും ആയവൻ—സ്വർഗ്ഗം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

श्रीमहेश्वरःthe venerable Maheshvara (Shiva)

उवाचsaid

श्रेयांसम्the better (one)

मार्गम्path

अन्विच्छन्seeking

सदाalways

यःwho

पृच्छतिasks

द्विजान्brahmins / twice-born

धर्मान्विषीone who seeks dharma

गुणाकाङ्क्षीdesiring virtues/good qualities

सःhe

स्वर्गम्heaven

समुपाश्नुतेattains

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Maheśvara

dvija (Brahmins/learned twice-born)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Persistent, humble inquiry into dharma from qualified learned teachers, coupled with a genuine desire for virtue, is presented as a direct means to spiritual merit culminating in svarga.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheśvara delivers an instruction on ethical practice: the aspirant should actively seek the superior course of life by repeatedly consulting the dvijas (learned authorities) about dharma, thereby gaining merit and a higher posthumous destiny.