Shloka 44

परिव्राजक-आचारः (Conduct of the Wandering Renunciant) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 269

Devanagari script

एषैव निष्ठा सर्वत्र यत्‌ तदस्ति च नास्ति च । एतदन्त च मध्यं च सच्चासच्च विजानतः

Transliteration

eṣaiva niṣṭhā sarvatra yat tad asti ca nāsti ca | etad antaṁ ca madhyaṁ ca saccāsacca vijānataḥ ||

Translation

କପିଳ କହିଲେ—ଶାସ୍ତ୍ରବୋଧରେ ସର୍ବତ୍ର ଏହି ଏକ ନିଶ୍ଚୟ: ଯାହା ଯାହା ଦୃଶ୍ୟ ଭାବେ ପ୍ରତୀତ ହୁଏ, ପ୍ରତୀତିକାଳରେ ତାହା ‘ଅଛି’ ବୋଲି ଧରାଯାଏ; କିନ୍ତୁ ପରମାର୍ଥଜ୍ଞାନର ଦୃଷ୍ଟିରେ ତାହା ବାଧିତ ହୋଇ ‘ନାହିଁ’ ହୋଇଯାଏ। ସତ୍ ଓ ଅସତ୍‌କୁ ବିବେଚନା କରୁଥିବା ଜ୍ଞାନୀଙ୍କ ଦୃଷ୍ଟିରେ, ସଦସତ୍-ସ୍ୱରୂପ ବ୍ରହ୍ମ ହିଁ ଏହି ଜଗତର ଆଦି, ମଧ୍ୟ ଓ ଅନ୍ତ।

Word by Word

• एषा: this (she/this one)
• एषा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• निष्ठा: final doctrine/settled conclusion
• निष्ठा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्ठा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वत्र: everywhere/in all cases
• सर्वत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र

• यत्: that which
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

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

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

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

• अन्तः: end
• अन्तः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• मध्यम्: middle
• मध्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

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

• सत्: being/real
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: सत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

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

• असत्: non-being/unreal
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: असत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• विजानतः: of (one) knowing/discerning
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञा
• Form: Present active participle, Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kapila
• Brahman (implied as the principle described as beginning/middle/end)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse states a pan-śāstric conclusion: the world is experienced as existent while it appears, but from the standpoint of highest knowledge it is sublated; the wise discern the interplay of sat/asat and recognize Brahman as the ultimate ground—spoken of as the beginning, middle, and end of the cosmos.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s didactic discourse, Kapila instructs on liberation-oriented knowledge, emphasizing how a knower interprets worldly phenomena: valid for experience, yet not ultimately real, with Brahman as the underlying reality to be realized.