Mahabharata 3.2.83 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 83

ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः

Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction

Devanagari script

पितृमातृमयी सिद्धि: प्राप्ता कर्ममयी च ते । तपसा सिद्धिमन्विच्छ द्विजानां भरणाय वै

Transliteration

pitṛmātṛmayī siddhiḥ prāptā karmamayī ca te | tapasā siddhim anviccha dvijānāṁ bharaṇāya vai ||

Translation

കർമ്മത്തിലൂടെ ലഭിക്കുന്ന, പിതൃ-മാതൃമയമായ (ഇഹ-പരലോകഹിതകരമായ) സിദ്ധി നിനക്കു ലഭിച്ചുകഴിഞ്ഞു. ഇനി തപസ്സിലൂടെ, ദ്വിജന്മാരുടെ (ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ) ഭരണം-പോഷണം സാധ്യമാക്കുന്ന ആ സിദ്ധിയെ അന്വേഷിക്ക.

Word by Word

• {'pitṛ-mātṛ-mayī': 'consisting in (or oriented toward) fathers and mothers

• beneficial to ancestors and parents', 'siddhiḥ': 'attainment

• spiritual or practical success', 'prāptā': 'obtained

• attained', 'karma-mayī': 'arising from action/ritual duty

• constituted of works', 'te': 'to you

• your', 'tapasā': 'by austerity

• through ascetic discipline', 'siddhim': 'accomplishment

• attainment (accusative)', 'anviccha': 'seek

• pursue', 'dvijānām': 'of the twice-born

• especially Brahmins', 'bharaṇāya': 'for the support/maintenance

• for sustenance', 'vai': 'indeed

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• dvijāḥ (twice-born/Brahmins)
• pitaraḥ (forefathers)
• mātaraḥ (mothers/parents)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes between merit gained through prescribed actions (karma-siddhi) and a higher attainment pursued through austerity (tapas). It frames spiritual striving as ethically directed: one should seek power/attainment that serves dharma, here expressed as the rightful support and maintenance of the twice-born (especially Brahmins).

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka addresses a listener/recipient, acknowledging that they have already gained an action-born success that benefits family/ancestors across both worlds. He then urges them to undertake austerities to obtain a further yogic accomplishment, specifically so that Brahmins may be properly sustained—linking spiritual practice with social-religious responsibility.