Mahabharata 3.201.25 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 25

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

आकल्प: परिचर्या च गात्रसंवाहनानि च । अन्नैकैकं नृपश्रेष्ठ गोदानाद्धयतिरिच्यते

Transliteration

ākalpaḥ paricaryā ca gātrasaṃvāhanāni ca | annaikaikaṃ nṛpaśreṣṭha godānādd hy atiricyate ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Wahai penguasa manusia, bahkan satu perbuatan seperti khidmat peribadi yang penuh perhatian, penjagaan yang wajar, atau mengurut anggota tubuh (orang yang mulia) mengatasi pahala sedekah seekor lembu. Khidmat yang rendah hati, tepat pada waktunya, dan dilakukan dengan penuh hormat ini mengatasi derma besar, kerana ia secara langsung memuliakan dan menyokong mereka yang menjadi perwujudan dharma.”

Word by Word

• आकल्पः: proper arrangement/attentive service (as prescribed)
• आकल्पः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकल्प
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिचर्या: attendance, service
• परिचर्या: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिचर्या
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• गात्रसंवाहनानि: massaging of the limbs
• गात्रसंवाहनानि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्रसंवाहन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अन्नैकैकम्: each single (act) of food-giving (i.e., each one among these acts)
• अन्नैकैकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्न-एक-एक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• गोदानात्: than a gift of cows
• गोदानात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदान
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• अतिरिच्यते: is surpassed/exceeded
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-√रिच्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada (Passive/Impersonal sense)

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• nṛpaśreṣṭha (the king addressed)
• go-dāna (cow-gift)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That humble, direct service—attending properly, caring for the body, and devoted personal assistance to the worthy—can yield greater spiritual merit than prestigious gifts like cow-donation, because it expresses reverence and sustains dharma in practice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a king and instructs him on comparative merit: he elevates concrete acts of service (paricaryā, saṃvāhana) above celebrated acts of charity (go-dāna), emphasizing lived devotion and ethical conduct.