Shloka 66

श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः

Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma

Devanagari script

शुक्ल: शुक्लाभिजातीय: साध्यो नावर्ततेडनघ । तिर्यग्गतेश्व निर्मुक्तो निरयाच्च पितामह

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

śuklaḥ śuklābhijātīyaḥ sādhyo nāvartate 'nagha |

tiryaggateṣv anirmukto nirayāc ca pitāmaha ||

Translation

Юдхиштхира сказал: «О безгрешный Питамаха, он был “Шукла” — рожденный в чистом роду и чистый по природе. Похоже, он и впрямь был божеством из сонма Садхьев; потому он более не возвращается к мирскому бытию. Он освобожден от падения в рождения зверей и птиц, и от ада также, о Дед.»

Word by Word

• शुक्लः: pure/white (one)
• शुक्लः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शुक्लाभिजातीयः: born in a pure lineage
• शुक्लाभिजातीयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्लाभिजातीय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• साध्यः: a Sādhya (class of deities)
• साध्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: साध्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• आवर्तते: returns/revolves back
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√वृत्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• अनघ: O sinless one
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनघ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• तिर्यग्गतेषु: in animal (non-human) births/movements
• तिर्यग्गतेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिर्यग्गति
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

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

• निर्मुक्तः: freed/released
• निर्मुक्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्√मुच्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• निरयात्: from hell
• निरयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निरय
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

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

• पितामह: O grandsire
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)
• Śukla
• Sādhya (deities)
• Niraya (hell)
• Tiryaggati (animal/bird realm)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Purity of conduct and accumulated merit can lead to freedom from lower rebirths (animal/bird births) and from hellish states; exceptionally, one may be understood as having a divine status (Sādhya), implying non-return to saṃsāra.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma, reflecting on a person named Śukla: he was pure by birth and nature, and Yudhiṣṭhira infers that he was a Sādhya deity, hence he does not return to worldly existence and is freed from animal births and hell.