Shloka 8

Jājali’s Austerities and the Summons to Tulādhāra (जाजलि–तुलाधार-इतिहासः)

Devanagari script

एवं यो वेद कामस्य केवलस्य निवर्तनम्‌ | बन्धं वै कामशास्त्रस्य स दुःखान्यतिवर्तते

Transliteration

evaṁ yo veda kāmasya kevalasya nivartanam | bandhaṁ vai kāmaśāstrasya sa duḥkhāny ativartate ||

Translation

ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਜੋ ਕੇਵਲ ਇੱਛਾਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਿਵਾਰਨ ਦਾ ਉਪਾਅ ਜਾਣਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਹ ਸਮਝ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਭੋਗ ਦਾ ਲਾਲਚ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਕਾਮ-ਸ਼ਾਸਤਰ ਅਸਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਬੰਧਨ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਸਭ ਦੁੱਖਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਪਾਰ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

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

• वेद: knows
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कामस्य: of desire
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• केवलस्य: mere/only
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• निवर्तनम्: cessation/turning back
• निवर्तनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवर्तन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• बन्धम्: bondage
• बन्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्ध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• कामशास्त्रस्य: of the treatise on desire/pleasure
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामशास्त्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दुःखानि: sufferings
• दुःखानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अतिवर्तते: crosses over/surpasses
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति√वृत्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Desire (kāma) is to be restrained and brought to cessation; teachings that merely systematize enjoyment can become bondage. Knowing this, one gains the inner freedom that enables transcendence of suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a general ethical-spiritual principle: understanding the method of withdrawing from desire and seeing pleasure-centered prescriptions as binding leads to freedom from duḥkha.