Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अपि गाथां पुरा गीतां जनकेन वदन्त्युत । निर्दन्द्ेन विमुक्तेन मोक्ष समनुपश्यता

Transliteration

api gāthāṃ purā gītāṃ janakena vadanty uta | nirdvandvena vimuktena mokṣaṃ samanupaśyatā ||

Translation

अपि गाथां पुरा गीतां जनकेन वदन्त्युत । निर्द्वन्द्वेन विमुक्तेन मोक्षं समनुपश्यता ॥

Word by Word

अपिalso, even

गाथाम्a verse, song

पुराformerly, in olden times

गीताम्sung, recited

जनकेनby Janaka

वदन्तिthey say, they recite

उतand, also (emphatic)

निर्द्वन्द्वेनby one free from dualities

विमुक्तेनby one liberated, freed

मोक्षम्liberation

समनुपश्यताby one who is clearly perceiving/realizing

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Janaka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Liberation is associated with nirdvandvatā—freedom from the pull of opposing experiences (pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor, gain and loss). Janaka is invoked as one who, through such equanimity and inner release, directly apprehended mokṣa.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira asks whether a well-known ancient gāthā attributed to King Janaka is still recounted. By citing Janaka, he points the discussion toward authoritative teachings on detachment and the vision of liberation within the Shānti Parva’s discourse on dharma and peace.