Shloka 87

Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचर्येण दानेन यज्ञेन तपसा तथा

Transliteration

brahmacaryeṇa dānena yajñena tapasā tathā

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മചര്യത്താൽ, ദാനത്താൽ, യജ്ഞത്താൽ, അതുപോലെ തപസ്സാൽ…

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मचर्येण: by celibacy / by the vow of chastity
• ब्रह्मचर्येण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• दानेन: by giving / by charity
• दानेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• यज्ञेन: by sacrifice / by ritual offering
• यज्ञेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• तपसा: by austerity / by penance
• तपसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तथा: and also / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

श्षशुर उवाच

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a cluster of classical dharmic disciplines—brahmacarya (self-restraint), dāna (generosity), yajña (sacrificial duty), and tapas (austerity)—as powerful means of moral and spiritual refinement, implying that inner mastery and selfless action are foundational to righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker identified as “the father-in-law” begins (or continues) an instruction listing the recognized paths of merit and purification. The line is syntactically incomplete on its own, functioning as the opening of a longer statement that will explain what is attained or accomplished through these practices.