Shloka 14

Devanagari script

आद्यकालिकया बुद्धया दूरे श्व इति निर्भया: । सर्वभक्ष्या न पश्यन्ति कर्मभूमिमचेतस:,जिसकी केवल वर्तमान सुखपर ही दृष्टि रहती है, उस बुद्धिके द्वारा भावी परिणामको बहुत दूर जानकर जो निर्भय रहते और सब प्रकारके अभक्ष्य पदार्थोंको खाते रहते हैं, वे बुद्धिहीन मनुष्य इस कर्मभूमिके महत्त्वको नहीं देख पाते हैं

Transliteration

ādyakālikayā buddhyā dūre śva iti nirbhayāḥ | sarvabhakṣyā na paśyanti karmabhūmim acetasaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa berkata: Mereka yang berakal pendek, hanya terpaku pada nikmat saat ini, menyangka akibat masa depan masih jauh lalu hidup tanpa gentar—hingga sanggup menikmati apa yang tidak patut dimakan—orang-orang yang tidak berakal itu gagal melihat makna sebenar “medan perbuatan” ini (kehidupan manusia), tempat karma berbuah dan tanggungjawab moral berkuasa.

Word by Word

आद्यकालिकयाby the time-beginning/early (i.e., present-oriented) intellect

बुद्धयाby/with intellect

दूरेfar (away)

श्वःtomorrow / the future

इतिthus

निर्भयाःfearless

सर्वभक्ष्याःeating everything / eating all (even forbidden) foods

नnot

पश्यन्तिthey see

कर्मभूमिम्the field/ground of action (this world as arena of karma)

अचेतसःunintelligent / senseless

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Heedless people, focused only on immediate pleasure, treat consequences as distant and therefore act without restraint; such lack of discernment prevents them from recognizing human life as a karmabhūmi—an arena where actions have moral weight and inevitable results.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa is describing a type of person whose present-centered thinking leads to fearlessness born of negligence, indulgence in improper consumption, and blindness to the ethical seriousness of action and its fruits.