Shloka 4

धन-यज्ञ-दानविवेकः

Wealth, Sacrifice, and Disciplined Giving

Devanagari script

चतुष्पदी हि नि:श्रेणी ब्रह्मण्येव प्रतिष्ठिता । तां क्रमेण महाबाहो यथावज्जय पार्थिव

Transliteration

catuṣpadī hi niḥśreṇī brahmaṇy eva pratiṣṭhitā | tāṁ krameṇa mahābāho yathāvaj jaya pārthiva ||

Translation

ମହାବାହୁ ଭୂପାଳ! ବ୍ରହ୍ମଚର୍ଯ୍ୟ, ଗାର୍ହସ୍ଥ୍ୟ, ବାନପ୍ରସ୍ଥ ଓ ସନ୍ନ୍ୟାସ—ଏହି ଚାରି ଆଶ୍ରମ ବ୍ରହ୍ମପ୍ରାପ୍ତିର ଚାରି ସିଢ଼ି; ଏଗୁଡ଼ିକ ବେଦରେ ପ୍ରତିଷ୍ଠିତ। ତେଣୁ ତୁମେ ଏଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ କ୍ରମେ, ଯଥାବିଧି, ଅତିକ୍ରମ କର।

Word by Word

• चतुष्पदी: four-stepped (ladder)
• चतुष्पदी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुष्पदिन्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• निःश्रेणी: ladder/stairway
• निःश्रेणी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निःश्रेणी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ब्रह्मणि: in Brahman
• ब्रह्मणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• एव: alone/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• प्रतिष्ठिता: established/grounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• ताम्: that (ladder)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• क्रमेण: in order/step by step
• क्रमेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महाबाहो: O mighty-armed one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• यथावत्: properly/as prescribed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत्

• जय: conquer/overcome
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• पार्थिव: O king/earth-ruler
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

देवस्थान उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Devastāna (speaker)
• pārthiva (the king addressed)
• mahābāhu (epithet of the addressee)
• Brahman
• Veda (implied by 'established' teaching)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the four āśramas—brahmacarya, gārhasthya, vānaprastha, and saṁnyāsa—form a Veda-grounded, step-by-step ladder leading toward Brahman; one should follow them in proper order and discipline rather than skipping or distorting the stages.

What is happening in the narrative?

Devastāna addresses a king, exhorting him to 'conquer' or master the prescribed life-stages in sequence, presenting the āśrama system as an ordered spiritual ascent culminating in realization of Brahman.