Shloka 18
Yayāti’s Abdication and Pūru’s Coronation (ययाति-पूोरु-राज्याभिषेकः)
(त्यजेदेक॑ कुलस्यार्थे ग्रामस्यार्थे कुलं त्यजेत् ग्रामं जनपदस्यार्थ आत्मार्थे पृथिवीं त्यजेत् ।।) कुलके हितके लिये एक मनुष्यको त्याग दे। गाँवके भलेके लिये एक कुलको छोड़ दे। जनपदके लिये एक गाँवकी उपेक्षा कर दे और आत्मकल्याणके लिये सारी पृथ्वीको त्याग दे। वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो धात्री तत्र गत्वा शर्मिष्ठां वाक्यमब्रवीत् । उत्तिष्ठ भद्दे शर्मिछे ज्ञातीनां सुखमावह,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--तब धायने शर्मिष्ठाके पास जाकर कहा--'भट्रे शर्मिष्ठे! उठो और अपने जाति-भाइयोंको सुख पहुँचाओ
tyajed ekaṁ kulasyārthe grāmasyārthe kulaṁ tyajet | grāmaṁ janapadasyārtha ātmārthe pṛthivīṁ tyajet ||
vaśampāyana uvāca |
tato dhātrī tatra gatvā śarmiṣṭhāṁ vākyam abravīt |
uttiṣṭha bhadre śarmiṣṭhe jñātīnāṁ sukham āvaha ||
“Pelo bem de uma família, pode-se abandonar uma única pessoa; pelo bem-estar de uma aldeia, pode-se abandonar uma família; pelo bem de um reino, pode-se pôr de lado uma aldeia; e pelo bem supremo de si mesmo (o bem do Si/Ātman), pode-se renunciar até mesmo à terra inteira.” Disse Vaiśampāyana: Então a ama foi até lá e falou a Śarmiṣṭhā: “Ergue-te, nobre Śarmiṣṭhā, e traz bem-estar aos teus parentes.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a graded ethic of sacrifice: private attachments may be relinquished for broader welfare—individual for family, family for village, village for realm—and even worldly sovereignty for one’s ultimate spiritual good (ātmārtha). It frames dharma as prioritizing the greater good, while also affirming that the highest aim can transcend all political and social claims.
After stating the maxim about prioritizing welfare, the narration resumes: Vaiśampāyana reports that the nurse (dhātrī) goes to Śarmiṣṭhā and urges her to rise and act in a way that brings happiness to her relatives—an immediate, practical application of duty and communal well-being within the Śarmiṣṭhā-related episode in Ādi Parva.