Shloka 8

Adhyāya 290: Sāṃkhya-vidhi, Deha-doṣa, Guṇa-vicāra, and Mokṣa-gati

Bhīṣma–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्नाश्रमिण: सन्त: स्वकर्माणीह कुर्वते

Transliteration

tasminnāśramiṇaḥ santaḥ svakarmāṇīha kurvate

Translation

Naquele eremitério, os ascetas residentes—verazes e disciplinados—cumpriam ali os seus deveres prescritos, cada qual segundo o seu papel e observância.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that (place/ashrama)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आश्रमिणः: the hermits/ashrama-dwellers
• आश्रमिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रमिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सन्तः: being; existing (as)
• सन्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्वकर्माणि: their own duties/acts
• स्वकर्माणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वकर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• कुर्वते: they do/perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• पराशर (Parāśara)
• आश्रम (āśrama, hermitage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms svadharma: virtuous people in an āśrama uphold order and inner purity by performing their own prescribed duties rather than abandoning responsibility or imitating others.

What is happening in the narrative?

Parāśara describes the life of a hermitage community, emphasizing that the ascetics living there are ‘santaḥ’—upright and disciplined—and that their daily conduct is defined by steady performance of their respective duties.