Shloka 23

कामबन्धन-निवृत्ति तथा शान्तिलक्षण-उपदेशः | Release from Desire-Bondage and the Marks of Peace

Devanagari script

परं परं तथैवाहुश्नातुराश्रम्यमेव तत्‌ । यथोक्ता नियमास्तेषां सर्व कार्य बुभूषता

Transliteration

paraṁ paraṁ tathaivāhuḥ snātur āśramyam eva tat | yathoktā niyamās teṣāṁ sarva-kārya-bubhūṣatā ||

Translation

ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਚਾਰੋਂ ਆਸ਼ਰਮ ਵੀ ਕ੍ਰਮਵਾਰ ਉੱਤਮ ਕਹੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ—ਹਰ ਅਗਲਾ ਪਿਛਲੇ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਉੱਚਾ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਸਾਰੇ ਪੁਰੁਸ਼ਾਰਥਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਕਰਤੱਬਾਂ ਦੀ ਪੂਰਨਤਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਸ਼ਾਸਤਰਾਂ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਆਸ਼ਰਮਾਂ ਲਈ ਨਿਰਧਾਰਿਤ ਨਿਯਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਸ਼ਰਧਾ ਨਾਲ ਪਾਲਣ ਕਰੇ।

Word by Word

• परम्: higher/superior (as object of saying)
• परम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• परम्: higher (again; successive superiority)
• परम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: thus/in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

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

• आहुः: they say/declare
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह् (आह)
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha/लिट्), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• श्नातुः: of the bath-taker (i.e., of the householder/one who has taken the bath)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्नातृ (from √श्ना/स्ना 'to bathe')
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• आश्रम्यम्: the (next) āśrama-stage / hermitage-stage
• आश्रम्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम्य (from आश्रम)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• तत्: that (stage/that one)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as/according to how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• उक्ताः: stated/declared
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्त (from √वच्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नियमाः: rules/observances
• नियमाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तेषाम्: of them (of those āśramas)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सर्वम्: all (entirely)
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कार्यम्: to be done/that which should be done
• कार्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (from √कृ)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बुभूषता: by one wishing to become/prosper (i.e., seeking advancement)
• बुभूषता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुभूषत् (desiderative from √भू)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• āśrama (the four life-stages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the four āśramas are viewed as an ascending spiritual-ethical progression, and that one seeking true accomplishment should follow the śāstra-prescribed disciplines (niyamas) appropriate to each stage.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a normative principle about āśrama-dharma: the life-stages are ranked as successively higher, and their scriptural rules should be practiced by a person intent on overall welfare and attainment.