Shloka 14

Adhyāya 41 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Gurv-anumati and Strategic Counsel (युधिष्ठिरस्य गुर्वनुमतिः)

Devanagari script

१३ ।। सम्बन्ध-- इस प्रकार तीनों गुणोंकी वृद्धिके भिन्न-भिन्न लक्षण बतलाकर अब दो शलोकोमें उन गुणोंमेंसे किस गुणकी वृद्धिके समय मरकर मनुष्य किस गतिको प्राप्त होता है; यह बतलाया जाता है-- यदा सच्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभूत्‌ । तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलानू्‌ प्रतिपद्यते,जब यह मनुष्य सत्त्वगुणकी वृद्धिमें मृत्युको प्राप्त होता है? तब तो उत्तम कर्म करनेवालोंके निर्मल दिव्य स्वर्गादि लोकोंको प्राप्त होता है

Transliteration

yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛt | tadottama-vidāṁ lokān amalān pratipadyate ||

Translation

దేహధారి సత్త్వగుణం ప్రబలిన వేళ మరణాన్ని పొందితే, అతడు ఉత్తమాన్ని తెలిసినవారి నిర్మల లోకాలను పొందుతాడు.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

सत्त्वेin sattva (the quality of goodness)

प्रवृद्धेhaving increased / when increased

तुindeed / but

प्रलयम्dissolution; death

यातिgoes; attains

देहभृत्the embodied one (body-bearer)

तदाthen

उत्तमविदाम्of the knowers of the highest (i.e., the virtuous/wise)

लोकान्worlds; realms

अमलान्pure; stainless

प्रतिपद्यतेattains; reaches

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

sattva (guṇa)

lokas (realms/worlds)

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?

The verse teaches that the dominant guṇa at the time of death influences one’s post-mortem destination: dying when sattva predominates leads to pure, luminous realms associated with the wise and the highest good.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of doctrinal instruction about the three guṇas, Arjuna’s statement (as presented here) summarizes the consequence of sattva’s increase: if an embodied being dies in a sattvic state, he attains stainless higher worlds.