Shloka 31

नारद–असित (देवल) संवादः — भूतप्रभवाप्यय, इन्द्रिय-गुण-विवेक, क्षेत्रज्ञ-तत्त्व

Devanagari script

न हिनस्ति नारभते नाभिद्रह्म॒ति किंचन । यज्ञो यष्टव्य इत्येव यो यजत्यफलेप्सया,यज्ञका अनुष्ठान अपना कर्तव्य है--ऐसा समझकर जो फलकी इच्छा न रखते हुए यज्ञ करता है, वह न तो हिंसा करता है, न किसीसे द्रोह करता है और न अहंकारपूर्वक किसी कर्मका आरम्भ ही करता है

Transliteration

na hinasti nārabhate nābhidrahmati kiñcana | yajño yaṣṭavya ityeva yo yajaty aphalepṣayā ||

Translation

‘യജ്ഞം ചെയ്യേണ്ടതുതന്നെ കടമ’ എന്ന ബോധത്തോടെ ഫലാപേക്ഷയില്ലാതെ യജ്ഞം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ഹിംസ ചെയ്യുകയില്ല; ആരോടും ദ്രോഹം പുലർത്തുകയില്ല; അഹങ്കാരപൂർവം ഒരു കർമവും ആരംഭിക്കുകയുമില്ല.

Word by Word

नnot

हिनस्तिharms

नnor

आरभतेundertakes/begins

नnor

अभिद्रुह्यतिbears malice/acts treacherously (towards)

किंचनanything/anyone (at all)

यज्ञःsacrifice; yajña

यष्टव्यःto be performed (to be sacrificed)

इतिthus

एवindeed/only

यःwho

यजतिperforms sacrifice

अफलin/with respect to non-fruit (no result)

ईप्सयाwith desire/with longing

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

Yajña (sacrifice)

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?

Perform obligatory acts (like yajña) without desire for personal gain. When action is grounded in duty rather than reward or ego, it avoids violence, hostility, and pride-driven initiative.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Kapila is explaining how desireless performance of prescribed duty transforms ritual action into a non-harming, non-hostile ethical practice.