Shloka 56

Sārasvata–Dadhīca Upākhyāna at Sarasvatī Tīrtha

Balarāma’s Pilgrimage Context

Devanagari script

विधिं च योगस्य परं कार्याकार्यस्य शास्त्रत: | संन्‍न्यासकृतबुद्धि त॑ ततो दृष्टवा महातपा:

Transliteration

vidhiṁ ca yogasya paraṁ kāryākāryasya śāstrataḥ | saṁnyāsakṛtabuddhiṁ taṁ tato dṛṣṭvā mahātapāḥ ||

Translation

ଶାସ୍ତ୍ରପ୍ରମାଣରେ ଯୋଗର ପରମ ବିଧି ଓ କର୍ତ୍ତବ୍ୟ-ଅକର୍ତ୍ତବ୍ୟର ନିୟମ ବୁଝି, ମହାତପସ୍ୱୀ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଦେଖିଲେ—ଯାହାଙ୍କ ବୁଦ୍ଧି ସନ୍ନ୍ୟାସରେ ଦୃଢ଼ ହୋଇଥିଲା।

Word by Word

विधिम्rule; injunction; method

चand

योगस्यof yoga; of discipline

परम्supreme; highest

कार्याकार्यस्यof what should be done and what should not be done

शास्त्रतःaccording to scripture; from the śāstra

संन्यासकृतबुद्धिम्one whose mind is made (set) on renunciation

तम्him

ततःthen; thereafter; from there

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

महातपाःthe great ascetic (one of great austerity)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

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?

Ethical clarity arises from disciplined practice (yoga) grounded in śāstra: one should discern kārya (duty) from akārya (improper action). Renunciation here chiefly means renouncing attachment and self-interest so the intellect becomes steady and fit for right action.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a moment where a great ascetic, after grasping the scriptural rule of yoga and moral discernment, sees a person characterized by a mind made firm through renunciation—setting a reflective, instructive tone amid the events of the Śalya Parva.