Shloka 15

अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्

Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed

Devanagari script

अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीमा गाथा: सत्यवता कृता: । यथा कुमार: सत्यो वै नैव पुण्यो न पापकृत्‌

Transliteration

atrāpy udāharantīmā gāthāḥ satyavatā kṛtāḥ | yathā kumāraḥ satyo vai naiva puṇyo na pāpakṛt ||

Translation

ଏହି ବିଷୟରେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସତ୍ୟବାନ ରଚିତ ଏହି ଗାଥାଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ଉଦାହରଣ ଭାବେ ଉଦ୍ଧୃତ କରନ୍ତି—ଯେପରି ଯୁଦ୍ଧ ଓ ଦ୍ୱେଷର ପ୍ରେରଣାରୁ ମୁକ୍ତ ଥିବା ଶିଶୁ ସ୍ୱଭାବତଃ ସତ୍ୟନିଷ୍ଠ ଥାଏ; ସେ ଇଚ୍ଛାକୃତ ଭାବେ ନ ପୁଣ୍ୟ ଅର୍ଜନ କରେ, ନ ପାପ କରେ। ସେହିପରି ପ୍ରତ୍ୟେକ ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ପୁରୁଷ ମଧ୍ୟ ସତ୍ୟରେ ସ୍ଥିତ ଓ ବୈରଭାବରୁ ଅକଳୁଷିତ ହେବା ଉଚିତ।

Word by Word

• {'atra api': 'here also

• in this matter too', 'udāharanti': 'they cite

• they adduce as an example', 'imāḥ': 'these', 'gāthāḥ': 'verses

• didactic stanzas', 'satyavatā': 'by Satyavān (instrumental singular)', 'kṛtāḥ': 'made

• composed', 'yathā': 'just as', 'kumāraḥ': 'a boy

• a youth', 'satyaḥ': 'truthful

• devoted to truth', 'vai': 'indeed

• certainly (emphatic particle)', 'na eva': 'not at all', 'puṇyaḥ': 'meritorious (one who performs merit)', 'na pāpakṛt': 'nor a doer of sin

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• Satyavān
• kumāra (a boy/youth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthfulness that is free from hostility and harmful intent is presented as an ideal: like a child who is naturally guileless, the noble person should remain established in truth and avoid deliberate sin, not being driven by aggressive passions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka introduces an illustrative citation: he points to didactic stanzas attributed to Satyavān, using the example of a child’s natural truthfulness to explain a moral point about the conduct of the श्रेष्ठ (noble) person.