Shloka 31

Devanagari script

तत्त्वं ज्ञात्वा तु सोमस्य विक्रय: स्याददोषवान्‌ | असमर्थस्य भृत्यस्य विसर्ग: स्याददोषवान्‌ | वनदाहो गवामर्थे क्रियमाणो न दूषक:

Transliteration

tattvaṃ jñātvā tu somasya vikrayaḥ syād adoṣavān | asamarthasya bhṛtyasya visargaḥ syād adoṣavān | vanadāho gavām arthe kriyamāṇo na dūṣakaḥ |

Translation

सोमाचे तत्त्व जाणून त्याचा विक्रय केला तर तो दोषरहित ठरतो. जो सेवक असमर्थ झाला असेल त्याला सोडणेही दोषरहित आहे. आणि गायींच्या हितासाठी केलेला वनदाहही निंद्य नाही.

Word by Word

तत्त्वम्the truth/reality

ज्ञात्वाhaving known

तुbut/indeed

सोमस्यof Soma

विक्रयःsale/selling

स्यात्would be/may be

अदोषवान्blameless

असमर्थस्यof an incapable (person)

भृत्यस्यof a servant/dependent

विसर्गःdismissal/release

स्यात्would be/may be

अदोषवान्blameless

वनदाहःforest-burning (setting a forest on fire)

गवाम्of cows/cattle

अर्थेfor the sake/purpose

क्रियमाणःbeing done/performed

नnot

दूषकःblameworthy/culpable (one that taints)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Soma

servant (bhṛtya)

cattle/cows (gāvaḥ)

forest-fire (vanadāha)

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?

Dharma is assessed by underlying principle and purpose: actions that can appear blameworthy (selling Soma, dismissing a servant, setting a forest-fire) may be ethically faultless when grounded in right understanding, necessity, and a legitimate end.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Vyāsa offers illustrative cases to show that moral judgment depends on context and intent; he lists examples where an act becomes ‘adoṣavān’ (non-culpable) when performed with proper rationale and for a justified purpose.