Shloka 1

Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)

Devanagari script

ऑपन--माजल छा असल षट्त्रिशर्दाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: ध्यानके सहायक योग

Transliteration

Vyāsa uvāca: atha ced yo rocayed etad uhyeta srotasā yathā | unmajjaṁś ca nimajjaṁś ca jñānavān plavavān bhavet ||

Translation

ବ୍ୟାସ କହିଲେ—ବତ୍ସ! ଯେପରି ମଣିଷ ଜଳସ୍ରୋତରେ କେବେ ଉପରକୁ ଉଠେ, କେବେ ଡୁବେ, ତଥାପି ପ୍ରବାହରେ ବହିଯାଏ; ଏବଂ ସଂଯୋଗବଶତଃ ଯଦି ଏକ ନୌକା ମିଳିଯାଏ, ତେବେ ତାହାର ସାହାଯ୍ୟରେ ପାର ହୋଇଯାଏ—ସେହିପରି ସଂସାର-ପ୍ରବାହରେ ଡୁବି-ଉଠି ଥିବା ମଣିଷ ଯଦି ଏହି ସଙ୍କଟରୁ ମୁକ୍ତି ଚାହେ, ତେବେ ଜ୍ଞାନରୂପ ନୌକାର ଆଶ୍ରୟ ନେବା ଉଚିତ।

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyasa
• व्यासः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• चेत्: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत्

• उरोचयेत्: would wish/approve (would like)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुच् (प्रेरणार्थे: रोचयति)
• Form: Optative, 3, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उह्मेत्: would infer/ponder
• Type: Verb
• Root: ऊह्
• Form: Optative, 3, Singular

• स्रोतसा: by/with the current (stream)
• स्रोतसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्रोतस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• यथा: as/just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• उन्मज्जन्: rising up (surfacing)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उन्मज्ज्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• निमज्जन्: sinking down (submerging)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निमज्ज्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• ज्ञानवान्: one who has knowledge; wise
• ज्ञानवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञानवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्लववान्: having a boat/raft
• प्लववान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्लववत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative, 3, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• srotas (current/stream)
• plava (boat/raft)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Knowledge (jñāna) is presented as the saving ‘boat’ that enables a person, otherwise swept up and down by the current of saṁsāra, to cross beyond suffering and attain liberation-oriented stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyasa introduces an instructive simile: like someone repeatedly surfacing and sinking while being carried by a river’s flow, an ordinary person is carried by worldly currents; but the wise person, taking refuge in knowledge, gains a means of crossing over.