Shloka 5

कालनियमः शोकशमनं च

Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief

Devanagari script

“धनंजय! सम्पूर्ण धर्मोंको जाननेवाले जो लोग ब्रह्मचर्य-आश्रममें स्थित हो ऋषियोंकी स्वाध्याय-परम्पराकी सदैव रक्षा करते हैं, देवता उन्हें ही ब्राह्मण मानते हैं ।।

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Dhanañjaya! sampūrṇa-dharmān jānanti ye janā brahmacaryāśrame sthitāḥ, ṛṣīṇāṃ svādhyāya-paramparāṃ sadā rakṣanti; devāḥ tān eva brāhmaṇān manyante. Svādhyāya-niṣṭhān hi ṛṣīn jñāna-niṣṭhāṃs tathāparān, buddho ’thaḥ santataṃ cāpi dharma-niṣṭhān, Dhanañjaya.

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «О Дхананджая (Арджуна), те, кто в полноте знает дхарму, пребывает в дисциплине брахмачарьи и непрестанно хранит преемственность свадхьяи риши,—лишь их боги признают истинными брахманами. И пойми также, о Дхананджая: среди риши одни стойки в священном чтении и изучении, другие преданы стяжанию знания, а третьи неколебимо утверждены в исполнении дхармы».

Word by Word

• स्वाध्यायनिष्ठान्: devoted to self-study
• स्वाध्यायनिष्ठान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाध्यायनिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• ऋषीन्: sages
• ऋषीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• ज्ञाननिष्ठान्: devoted to knowledge
• ज्ञाननिष्ठान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञाननिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तथा: thus/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• अपरान्: others
• अपरान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• बुद्ध्वा: having understood
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for ktvā)

• अथ: then/now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• संततम्: constantly/always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: संतत (प्रातिपदिक)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• धर्मनिष्ठान्: devoted to dharma
• धर्मनिष्ठान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मनिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• धनंजय: O Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• धनंजय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya)
• Ṛṣis
• Devas
• Brahmacarya-āśrama
• Brāhmaṇa
• Svādhyāya-paramparā

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True brāhmaṇa-hood is grounded in disciplined life (brahmacarya), preservation of the Vedic learning tradition (svādhyāya-paramparā), and steadfastness in one’s chosen spiritual orientation—study, knowledge, or dharmic conduct—rather than in mere social label.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) and classifies sages by their primary commitments—Vedic study, pursuit of knowledge, or practice of dharma—while affirming that the gods recognize as brāhmaṇas those who live with restraint and protect the lineage of sacred learning.