Shanti Parva Adhyaya 341 Shloka 766 - Mahabharata | Sanskrit | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 766

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

प्रवृत्ती वा निवृत्ती वा तत्फलं सो<श्चुते महत्‌ । “वह क्षेत्रज्ञ मैं हूँ। जो कर्मपरायण मनुष्य हैं

Transliteration

pravṛttī vā nivṛttī vā tatphalaṃ so 'śnute mahat |

Translation

वैशम्पायन उवाच—प्रवृत्तिर्वा निवृत्तिर्वा तत्फलं सोऽश्नुते महत्। “वह क्षेत्रज्ञ मैं हूँ। जो कर्मपरायण मनुष्य हैं, वे पुनरावृत्तिशील हैं; अतः उनके लिये यह निवृत्तिमार्ग दुर्लभ है। जिस प्राणीका जिस प्रकार निर्माण हुआ है तथा वह जिस-जिस प्रवृत्ति या निवृत्तिरूप कर्ममें संलग्न होता है, वह उसीके महान् फलका भागी होता है।”

Word by Word

प्रवृत्तिःactivity; engagement (path of action)

वाor

निवृत्तिःwithdrawal; cessation (path of renunciation)

वाor

तत्that

फलम्fruit; result

सःhe

अश्नुतेattains; enjoys

महत्great

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That both engagement in action (pravṛtti) and renunciation (nivṛtti) yield powerful results, and a person inherits the fruit aligned with their nature and chosen mode of conduct; hence nivṛtti is difficult for those strongly action-oriented.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues a didactic exposition in Śānti Parva, summarizing how different life-orientations—worldly action versus withdrawal—lead to corresponding outcomes, framing an ethical psychology of disposition and consequence.