Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

राजा मित्रसहश्चापि वसिष्ठाय महात्मने । मदयन्तीं प्रियां दत्ता तया सह दिव॑ गत:,राजा मित्रसहने महात्मा वसिष्ठको अपनी प्यारी रानी मदयन्ती देकर उसके साथ ही स्वर्गलोकमें पदार्पण किया था

Transliteration

rājā mitrasahaścāpi vasiṣṭhāya mahātmane | madayantīṁ priyāṁ dattā tayā saha divaṁ gataḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa berkata: Raja Mitrasaha juga, setelah menyerahkan permaisuri kesayangannya Madayantī kepada resi agung Vasiṣṭha yang berhati luhur, berangkat ke syurga bersama-sama dengannya.

Word by Word

राजाthe king

मित्रसहःMitrasa(h)a (proper name)

चand

अपिalso

वसिष्ठायto Vasiṣṭha

महात्मनेto the great-souled (sage)

मदयन्तीम्Madayantī (proper name)

प्रियाम्beloved

दत्तःhaving given / given

तयाwith her

सहtogether with

दिवम्to heaven

गतःwent / departed

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Mitrasaha

Vasiṣṭha

Madayantī

Svarga (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma as superior to personal desire: a king is expected to uphold righteous obligation and honor the claims of a venerable sage, even when it demands painful sacrifice. Such adherence to dharma is presented as leading to spiritual merit and heavenly attainment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa recounts that King Mitrasaha gave his beloved queen Madayantī to the sage Vasiṣṭha and then attained heaven together with her. The statement functions as an illustrative precedent within the Śānti Parva’s ethical discourse.