Shloka 16

Āśrama-dharma and Brahmacarya: Śuka’s Inquiry on Karma and Tyāga (शुक-प्रश्नः कर्मत्यागविवेकश्च)

Devanagari script

अनुनीय यथाकामं सत्यसंधो महाव्रतः । स्वै: प्राणैब्राह्मणप्राणान्‌ परित्राय दिवं गत:

Transliteration

anūnīya yathākāmaṃ satyasaṃdho mahāvrataḥ | svaiḥ prāṇair brāhmaṇaprāṇān paritrāya divaṃ gataḥ ||

Translation

व्यास म्हणाले—सत्यसंध व महाव्रतधारी त्या राजाने समोरच्याला इच्छेनुसार विनयाने प्रसन्न करून, आपल्या प्राणांच्या किंमतीवर एका ब्राह्मणाचे प्राण वाचविले; असा धर्म पाळून तो स्वर्गास गेला।

Word by Word

• अनुनीय: having conciliated / having entreated
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-नी
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (ल्यप्), कर्तरि

• यथा: as / according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• कामम्: desire; wish
• कामम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सत्यसन्धः: true to his vow / faithful to truth
• सत्यसन्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्यसन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाव्रतः: of great vow; great-vowed
• महाव्रतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाव्रत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वैः: with his own
• स्वैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• प्राणैः: by (his) life-breaths; with (his) life
• प्राणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• ब्राह्मणप्राणान्: the life(s) of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणप्राणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणप्राण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• परित्राय: having protected / having saved
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-त्रा
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (ल्यप्), कर्तरि

• दिवम्: to heaven
• दिवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्/द्यौ (दिव)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गतः: gone; went
• गतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), कर्तरि-प्रयोग (गतः = he went), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• a vow-observing king (unnamed in this verse)
• a Brāhmaṇa
• Svarga (heaven)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is upheld through truthfulness and self-sacrifice: protecting an innocent (here, a Brāhmaṇa) even at the cost of one’s own life is presented as a supreme ethical act that leads to heavenly merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa recounts an exemplary deed: a great-vowed, truth-steadfast king, after conciliating others as needed, saves a Brāhmaṇa’s life by giving up his own life-breath, and as a result attains heaven.