Shloka 20

Devanagari script

एष योगविधि: कृत्स्नो यावदिन्द्रियधारणम्‌ । एतन्मूलं हि तपस: कृत्स्नस्य नरकस्य च

Transliteration

eṣa yogavidhiḥ kṛtsno yāvad indriyadhāraṇam | etanmūlaṃ hi tapasaḥ kṛtsnasya narakasya ca ||

Translation

ਸ਼ਿਕਾਰੀ ਬੋਲਿਆ—ਇੰਦ੍ਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਥਿਰ ਕਰਕੇ ਵੱਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੱਖਣਾ ਹੀ ਯੋਗ ਦੀ ਪੂਰੀ ਵਿਧੀ ਹੈ। ਇਹੀ ਸਾਰੀ ਤਪੱਸਿਆ ਦਾ ਮੂਲ ਹੈ; ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਦੀ ਅਣਦੇਖੀ ਹੀ ਪੂਰੇ ਨਰਕ-ਪਤਨ ਦਾ ਵੀ ਮੂਲ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

एषःthis

योगविधिःthe method of yoga

कृत्स्नःentire, complete

यावत्up to the extent that; as far as

इन्द्रियधारणम्restraint/holding of the senses

एतत्this

मूलम्root, basis

हिindeed, for

तपसःof austerity

कृत्स्नस्यof the whole, of the entire

नरकस्यof hell

चand

Speaker

व्याध उवाच

Characters & Entities

vyādha (the hunter; speaker)

indriya (the senses)

tapas (austerity)

naraka (hell)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the essence of yoga and the foundation of true tapas is indriya-dhāraṇa—firm restraint of the senses. The same domain is ethically decisive: mastery supports spiritual progress, while lack of restraint becomes a root-cause for downfall and suffering (symbolized as naraka).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Vana Parva’s dialogue where the vyādha instructs a seeker on dharma and right conduct, he summarizes practical spirituality: yoga is not merely ritual or theory but lived discipline, centered on controlling the senses, which determines whether one’s life tends toward purification or ruin.