Shloka 13

नागैः सह ब्राह्मणस्य अतिथिधर्म-व्रतसंवादः | The Brahmin’s Vow and the Nāgas’ Hospitality Appeal

Devanagari script

ये हि निष्कलुषा लोके पुण्यपापविवर्जिता: । तेषां वै क्षेममध्वानं गच्छतां द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

ye hi niṣkaluṣā loke puṇyapāpavivarjitāḥ | teṣāṃ vai kṣemamadhvānaṃ gacchatāṃ dvijasattama ||

Translation

നാരദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദ്വിജസത്തമാ! ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ നിഷ്കലുഷരായി പുണ്യപാപങ്ങളിരണ്ടും വിട്ടവരുടെ യാത്ര നിശ്ചയമായും ക്ഷേമ—മംഗളകരമായ—പഥത്തിലൂടെയാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

येwho (those who)

हिindeed/for

निष्कलुषाःstainless, free from impurity

लोकेin the world

पुण्यपापविवर्जिताःdevoid of merit and sin

तेषाम्of them

वैindeed, surely

क्षेमwelfare, safety

अध्वानम्path, course

गच्छताम्of those going

द्विजसत्तमO best of the twice-born

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

dvijasattama (addressed brahmin interlocutor)

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?

The verse praises inner purity that transcends the duality of merit (puṇya) and sin (pāpa). Such freedom from moral taint and from attachment to karmic accounting is presented as leading to a safe, auspicious spiritual course.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is instructing a brahmin interlocutor, describing the destiny or course of those who are “stainless” and beyond puṇya and pāpa, affirming that their onward journey follows a secure path.