Shloka 22

Śīla-prāpti and Śīla-lakṣaṇa (शीलप्राप्ति-शीललक्षणम्) | On the Acquisition and Marks of Character

Devanagari script

धर्मांचरणमें विशेष मन लगावे। उत्तम कुलमें विवाह करे। उदार एवं क्षमाशील ब्राह्मणोंकी सेवामें रहे ।।

Transliteration

japed udakaśīlaḥ syāt satataṃ sukham āsthitaḥ | dharmānvitān sampraviśed bahiḥ kṛtveha duṣkṛtīn ||

Translation

Kāmandaka berkata: “Hendaklah dia melafazkan (mantra suci) sambil berdiri di dalam air, memelihara kesucian dan disiplin. Hendaklah dia sentiasa berasa puas dan teguh dalam kebahagiaan. Setelah mengusir para pelaku kejahatan dari negeri, hendaklah dia bergaul dengan orang-orang yang berpegang pada dharma.”

Word by Word

• {'japet (japed)': 'should recite

• should perform japa (muttered prayer/recitation)', 'udaka': 'water', 'udakaśīlaḥ': 'one whose practice involves water

• one observing water-based purity/ritual discipline (e.g., standing in water for japa)', 'syāt': 'should be

• ought to become', 'satataṃ': 'always

• continually', 'sukham': 'happiness

• well-being', 'āsthitaḥ': 'established in

• remaining', 'dharma': 'righteous order

• ethical law', 'dharmānvitān': 'those endowed with dharma

• righteous persons', 'sampraviśet': 'should enter

• should join', 'bahiḥ': 'outside

• out of (the kingdom/settlement)', 'kṛtvā': 'having done

• having made', 'iha': 'here

• in this world/realm', 'duṣkṛtīn': 'evil-doers

Speaker

कामन्दक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kāmandaka
• water (udaka)
• Gayatrī (implied by the Hindi gloss: gāyatrī-japa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links personal discipline (purificatory japa and steady contentment) with public ethics (removing persistent wrongdoers from the polity) and recommends keeping company with the righteous, presenting dharma as both inner practice and social governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Kāmandaka offers counsel on proper conduct: perform disciplined recitation as a purity-practice, maintain a settled and cheerful disposition, enforce moral order by excluding harmful offenders, and cultivate the company of dharmic people.