Shloka 21

तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः

Instruction on the Cessation of Craving

Devanagari script

अनारम्भा: सुधृतय: शुचयो ब्रह्मसंज्ञिता: । ब्रह्मणैव सम ते देवांस्तर्पयन्त्यमृतेषिण:,परंतु जो संन्यास धर्म स्वीकार करके कर्मानुष्ठानसे निवृत्त हो गये हैं तथा धीर, पवित्र एवं ब्रह्मस्वरूपमें स्थित हैं, वे अविनाशी ब्रह्मको चाहनेवाले महात्मा पुरुष ब्रह्मज्ञानसे ही देवताओंको तृप्त करते हैं

Transliteration

anārambhāḥ sudhṛtayaḥ śucayo brahmasaṃjñitāḥ | brahmaṇaiva sama te devāṃs tarpayanty amṛteṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

കപിലൻ പറഞ്ഞു—കർമ്മാരംഭങ്ങൾ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് സന്ന്യാസധർമ്മം സ്വീകരിച്ചവർ, ദൃഢസംയമമുള്ളവർ, ശുചികൾ, ‘ബ്രഹ്മം’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്ന നിലയിൽ സ്ഥാപിതർ—അമൃതത്വം അന്വേഷിക്കുന്ന ആ മഹാത്മാക്കൾ യാഗകർമ്മങ്ങളാൽ അല്ല; ബ്രഹ്മതത്ത്വം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ, അഥവാ ബ്രഹ്മജ്ഞാനത്തിലൂടെ, ദേവന്മാരെ തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു.

Word by Word

अनारम्भाःnon-initiating (free from undertaking actions)

सुधृतयःsteadfast, well-controlled

शुचयःpure

ब्रह्मसंज्ञिताःdesignated/known as Brahman (Brahman-named)

ब्रह्मणाby/with Brahman (Brahman-knowledge)

एवindeed, only

समेequal-minded, impartial

देवान्the gods

तर्पयन्तिthey satisfy, they gratify

अमृतेषिणःseekers of immortality

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

Devas

Brahman

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?

True renunciants—pure and self-controlled—do not depend on external ritual action to fulfill religious aims; their Brahman-realization itself is presented as the highest ‘offering,’ which is said to satisfy the gods while they pursue immortality (mokṣa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Kapila is describing the conduct and spiritual status of advanced renunciants: having withdrawn from initiating actions, they abide in Brahman and, through that knowledge alone, are portrayed as fulfilling even the traditional obligation of pleasing the gods.