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Shloka 11

अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः

The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex

मर्यादायां धर्मसेतुर्निबद्धो नैव सीदति । पुष्टस्रोत इवासक्त: स्फीतो भवति संचय:

maryādāyāṃ dharmasetur nibaddho naiva sīdati | puṣṭasrota ivāsaktaḥ sphīto bhavati saṃcayaḥ ||

പ്രാചീന മര്യാദകളുടെ പരിധികളിൽ ദൃഢമായി ബന്ധിക്കപ്പെട്ട ധർമ്മസേതു ഒരിക്കലും തകർന്നുവീഴുകയില്ല. നദിയിൽ ഉറച്ച അണക്കെട്ട് പ്രവാഹത്തെ പുഷ്ടിപ്പെടുത്തി നിലനിർത്തുന്നതുപോലെ, സ്ഥാപിതമായ സംയമം ധർമ്മത്തെ കാക്കുന്നു; അതിൽ നിന്നു ആസക്തിയില്ലാത്ത തപസ്സിന്റെ സഞ്ചയം വർധിക്കുന്നു।

मर्यादायाम्in the boundary/limit (traditional norm)
मर्यादायाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootमर्यादा
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
धर्मसेतुःthe dam/bridge of dharma
धर्मसेतुः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootधर्मसेतु
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
निबद्धःbound/fastened
निबद्धः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootनि-बन्ध्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
सीदतिsinks/fails/declines
सीदति:
TypeVerb
Rootसद्
FormPresent, Lat, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada
पुष्टस्रोतःa strong/full stream-current
पुष्टस्रोतः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपुष्टस्रोतस्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इवlike/as
इव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव
आसक्तःattached/clinging
आसक्तः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootआ-सञ्ज्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)
स्फीतःswollen/increased
स्फीतः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootस्फीत
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
भवतिbecomes
भवति:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormPresent, Lat, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada
संचयःaccumulation/store
संचयः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसंचय
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular

पराशर उवाच

P
Parāśara
D
dharma (as a principle)
D
dharmasetu (metaphorical embankment/bridge)
R
river/current (metaphor)

Educational Q&A

Dharma endures when it is anchored in established moral boundaries (maryādā). Such disciplined restraint prevents ethical collapse and allows spiritual merit/austerity (tapas) to accumulate and grow without selfish attachment.

Parāśara is instructing his listener using a vivid analogy: just as a strong dam within a river’s course does not break and helps sustain a robust flow, so a well-established ‘embankment’ of dharma, fixed in traditional norms, remains stable and fosters the growth of accumulated spiritual power.