Shanti Parva Adhyaya 219 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | Tamil | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 1

Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra

Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability

Devanagari script

क्ा-...0.:--. ०-2 ३. जन्मके समय गर्भवास आदिके कारण जो कष्ट होता है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | janako janadevas tu jñāpitaḥ paramarṣiṇā | punar evānupapraccha sāmparāye bhavābhavau ||

Translation

பீஷ்மர் கூறினார்—அரசே! பரமரிஷியால் உபதேசம் பெற்ற ஜனகன் (ஜனதேவன் எனவும் அழைக்கப்படுவான்) மீண்டும் அவரிடம், மரணத்திற்குப் பின் பரலோக நிலையில் ஆத்மா இருக்கிறதா இல்லையா என்று வினவினான்.

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

जनकःJanaka

जनदेवःJanadeva (name/epithet)

तुbut/indeed

ज्ञापितःwas informed/instructed

परमर्षिणाby the great sage

पुनःagain

एवindeed/just

अनुपप्रच्छasked further

साम्परायेin the hereafter/after death

भवexistence (as one alternative)

अभवौnon-existence (as the other alternative)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Janaka

Janadeva

Paramarshi (great sage, i.e., Panchashikha in context)

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?

The verse frames a central moksha-question: after death, is there continued existence (bhava) or non-existence (abhava)? Janaka’s follow-up pushes the teacher to clarify the metaphysical basis on which renunciation, moral restraint, and liberation are meaningful.

What is happening in the narrative?

After receiving instruction from the great sage (identified in the chapter context as Panchashikha), King Janaka/Janadeva asks another question—specifically about the post-mortem fate of the self: survival versus destruction.