Mahabharata 3.299.2 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 299, Shloka 2

Ajñātavāsa-saṅkalpaḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Resolve and Dhaumya’s Exempla on Concealment

Devanagari script

तस्य पाटयत: काष्ठ स्वेदो वै समजायत । व्यायामेन च तेनास्य जज्ञे शिरसि वेदना

Transliteration

tasya pāṭayataḥ kāṣṭha svedo vai samajāyata | vyāyāmena ca tenāsya jajñe śirasi vedanā ||

Translation

Tatkala dia terus membelah kayu, peluh benar-benar memercik keluar; dan kerana jerih payah itu, timbullah sakit pada kepalanya. Penceritaan ini menegaskan bahawa kerja yang tidak mengenal henti dan tekanan yang berat secara tabii melahirkan penderitaan jasmani, serta menyiratkan tuntutan etika agar usaha dilakukan dengan ukuran yang wajar dan ketabahan yang disertai kesedaran.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• पाटयतः: while (he) was splitting
• पाटयतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: पट् (पाटयति)
• Form: present, third, singular, active

• काष्ठम्: wood
• काष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: काष्ठ
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• स्वेदः: sweat
• स्वेदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वेद
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• समजायत: arose/was produced
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (जायते)
• Form: imperfect, third, singular, middle

• व्यायामेन: by exertion
• व्यायामेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यायाम
• Form: masculine, instrumental, singular

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

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, instrumental, singular

• अस्य: of him
• अस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• जज्ञे: arose/was born
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: perfect, third, singular, middle

• शिरसि: in the head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• वेदना: pain
• वेदना: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदना
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• wood (kāṣṭha)
• sweat (sveda)
• head (śiras)
• pain (vedanā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the natural consequence of intense exertion: physical strain produces fatigue and pain. Ethically, it points toward disciplined endurance while also implying the value of moderation and awareness of bodily limits.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya describes a person engaged in splitting wood; as the work continues, he begins to sweat, and the sustained effort results in a headache.