Shloka 33

अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः

Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving

Devanagari script

कथं न विप्रणश्येम योनितो<स्या इति प्रभो । कुर्वन्ति धर्म मनुजा: श्रुतिप्रामाण्यदर्शनात्‌

Transliteration

kathaṁ na vipraṇaśyema yonito ’syā iti prabho | kurvanti dharma manuṣyāḥ śrutiprāmāṇyadarśanāt ||

Translation

Парашара сказал: «О владыка, размышляя: “Как нам не погибнуть — как не пасть из этого человеческого рождения в низшие состояния?”, и признавая авторитет ведийского откровения (шрути), люди принимаются за исполнение дхармы».

Word by Word

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

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

• विप्रणश्येम: might we perish / fall away
• विप्रणश्येम: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-नश्
• Form: Vidhi-linga, optative, 1, plural, Parasmaipada

• योनितः: from the womb/species (state of birth)
• योनितः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि
• Form: feminine, ablative, singular

• अस्याः: of this (human) [yoni]
• अस्याः: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: feminine, genitive, singular

• इति: thus (quoting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• प्रभो: O lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• कुर्वन्ति: they do / perform
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Lat, present, 3, plural, Parasmaipada

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteous duty
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• मनुजाः: men, human beings
• मनुजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• श्रुति-प्रामाण्य-दर्शनात्: from/through considering the authority of śruti (Veda)
• श्रुति-प्रामाण्य-दर्शनात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन
• Form: neuter, ablative, singular

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• prabhu (addressed lord/master)
• manuṣyāḥ (human beings)
• śruti (Vedic revelation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Humans practice dharma with the aim of not degenerating from the precious human condition, grounding their conduct in the recognized authority of śruti (Vedic revelation) as a reliable guide for right living.

What is happening in the narrative?

Parāśara addresses a ‘lord’ and explains the motivation behind human religious-ethical practice: people, fearing downfall into lower births and trusting śruti as authoritative, undertake dharma as a deliberate discipline.