Shloka 31

तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः

Instruction on the Cessation of Craving

Devanagari script

द्वद्धारामेषु सर्वेषु य एको रमते मुनि: । परेषामननुध्यायंस्तं देवा ब्राह्म॒णं विदु:,जो मुनि शीत-उष्ण आदि सम्पूर्ण द्वन्धरूपी उपवनोंमें अकेला ही आनन्दपूर्वक रहता है और दूसरोंका चिन्तन नहीं करता, उसे देवतालोग ब्राह्मण (ब्रह्मज्ञानी) समझते हैं

Transliteration

dvandvārāmeṣu sarveṣu ya eko ramate muniḥ | pareṣām ananudhyāyaṁs taṁ devā brāhmaṇaṁ viduḥ ||

Translation

ശീത-ഉഷ്ണാദി എല്ലാ ദ്വന്ദ്വങ്ങളുടെ ഉപവനങ്ങളിൽ, മറ്റുള്ളവരെക്കുറിച്ച് ധ്യാനിച്ച് മനസ്സു കളയാതെ, ഏകാന്തമായി ആനന്ദിക്കുന്ന മുനിയെ—ദേവന്മാർ ബ്രഹ്മജ്ഞനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണനെന്ന് അറിയുന്നു।

Word by Word

द्वन्द्व-आरामेषुin the gardens/pleasure-grounds of pairs of opposites (i.e., द्वन्द्वs)

सर्वेषुin all

यःwho

एकःalone

रमतेrejoices/delights

मुनिःthe sage

परेषाम्of others

अननुध्यायन्not meditating upon (them), not thinking of (others)

तम्him

देवाःthe gods

ब्राह्मणम्a brahmin (knower of Brahman)

विदुःknow/recognize

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

devas

muni

brāhmaṇa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A true spiritual person remains inwardly content amid life’s opposites (heat/cold, pleasure/pain) and does not fixate on others; such self-contained equanimity is presented as the mark of a real brāhmaṇa (Brahman-knower).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation and right conduct, Kapila speaks as a teacher, defining who deserves the title ‘brāhmaṇa’ not by birth or ritual alone but by inner steadiness and freedom from mental preoccupation with others.