Shloka 18

जापक–इक्ष्वाकु–सत्यविवादः

The Jāpaka, Ikṣvāku, and the Dispute on Truth and Merit

Devanagari script

उज्छवृत्तिर्गुहस्थो यः स्वधर्माचरणे रत: । त्यक्तकामसुखारम्भ: स्वर्गस्तस्य न दुर्लभ:

Transliteration

ujchavṛttir guhāstho yaḥ svadharmācaraṇe rataḥ | tyaktakāmasukhārambhaḥ svargas tasya na durlabhaḥ ||

Translation

ଭରଦ୍ୱାଜ କହିଲେ—ଯେ ଗୃହସ୍ଥ (ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣ) ଉଞ୍ଛବୃତ୍ତିରେ (ଖେତ କିମ୍ବା ବଜାରରେ ଛିଟିଯାଇଥିବା ଧାନ୍ୟକଣା ବିନି) ଜୀବିକା ଚାଲାଏ, ସ୍ୱଧର୍ମାଚରଣରେ ରତ ରହେ, ଏବଂ କାମସୁଖପ୍ରେରିତ ଆରମ୍ଭଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ତ୍ୟାଗ କରେ—ତାହା ପାଇଁ ସ୍ୱର୍ଗ ଦୁର୍ଲଭ ନୁହେଁ।

Word by Word

• उच्छवृत्तिः: one whose livelihood is by gleaning (scattered grains)
• उच्छवृत्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छवृत्ति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गृहस्थः: householder
• गृहस्थः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वधर्माचरणे: in the practice of one’s own duty
• स्वधर्माचरणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधर्माचरण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• रतः: engaged, devoted
• रतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्यक्तकामसुखारम्भः: having abandoned undertakings for sensual pleasure
• त्यक्तकामसुखारम्भः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्तकामसुखारम्भ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्वर्गः: heaven
• स्वर्गः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्य: for him / of him
• तस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• दुर्लभः: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भरद्वाज उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bharadvāja

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A householder can attain high spiritual reward by faithfully practicing svadharma with extreme simplicity (ujchavṛtti) and by renouncing pleasure-driven undertakings; inner discipline, not prosperity, is presented as the decisive factor.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Bharadvāja states a normative rule: he describes an ideal gṛhastha who lives by gleaning and restrains sensual pursuits, and he declares that such a person’s attainment of svarga is easy.