Shloka 14

अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम्‌ । नाभिजानामि यद्यस्य सत्यस्यार्धमवाप्तरुयात्‌

Transliteration

Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca— aśvamedha-sahasraṃ ca satyaṃ ca tulayā dhṛtam | nābhijānāmi yad yasya satyasyārdham avāptum arhati ||

Translation

మార్కండేయుడు అన్నాడు—తూకపు త్రాసులో ఒక పళ్లెంలో వెయ్యి అశ్వమేధ యజ్ఞాలు, మరొక పళ్లెంలో సత్యాన్ని ఉంచి తూకం వేసినా, ఆ యజ్ఞాలన్నీ సత్యం యొక్క సగానికి కూడా సమానమవుతాయో లేదో నేను చెప్పలేను. సత్యధర్మపు విలువ అపారము.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Markandeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular

• अश्वमेध: Ashvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• अश्वमेध: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• तुलया: with a balance/scale
• तुलया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• धृतम्: weighed/held (in the balance)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

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

• अभिजानामि: I know/recognize
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-ज्ञा
• Form: Present, 1st, Singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• यस्य: of which/whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सत्यस्य: of truth
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अर्धम्: half
• अर्धम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अवाप्तुयात्: would attain/reach
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-आप्
• Form: Optative (Potential), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• tulā (balance/scale)
• satya (Truth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Truthfulness (satya) is ethically and spiritually superior to even the greatest ritual achievements; external rites, however grand, cannot match the inner virtue of truth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya offers a striking comparison—placing a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices against Truth on a scale—to emphasize that satya outweighs ritual merit and stands as a central pillar of dharma.