Shloka 9

Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon

Devanagari script

अगतिकश्न गतिश्चैव पूर्व ते कथिता मया । गहनो ह्ोष धर्मों वै दुर्विज्ञेयोडकृतात्मभि:,मैंने पहले तुमसे गति और अगतिका स्वरूप भी बताया था। यह धर्म गहन तथा अजितात्मा पुरुषोंके लिये दुर्गम है

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: agatiś ca gatiś caiva pūrvaṁ te kathitā mayā | gahano hy eṣa dharmo vai durvijñeyo ’kṛtātmabhiḥ ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— “മുമ്പേ ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് ‘അഗതി’യും ‘ഗതി’യും—ഇരണ്ടും പറഞ്ഞിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഈ ധർമ്മം അത്യന്തം ഗഹനമാണ്; ആത്മസംയമം നേടിയിട്ടില്ലാത്തവർക്ക് ഇതിനെ ഗ്രഹിക്കുക ദുഷ്കരം.”

Word by Word

अगतिःnon-attainment; lack of progress; helpless state

कश्चित्someone; a certain (one)

गतिःcourse; path; attainment; destiny

चand

एवindeed; just; also

पूर्वम्formerly; earlier

तेto you

कथिताtold; explained

मयाby me

गहनःdeep; profound; hard to fathom

हिindeed; for

एषःthis

धर्मःdharma; righteous duty; law

वैindeed; certainly

दुर्विज्ञेयःhard to know/understand

अकृतात्मभिःby the unself-controlled; by those without disciplined mind

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is subtle and profound; merely hearing about ‘right course’ (gati) and ‘no course’ (agati) is not enough—true understanding requires inner discipline. Those lacking self-mastery find Dharma difficult to grasp and apply.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues an instructional discourse, reminding the listener that he has already explained the notions of gati and agati, and he emphasizes why the subject is challenging: Dharma’s depth makes it inaccessible to the undisciplined mind.