Shloka 20

Devanagari script

देवा वै दुष्करं कृत्वा विभूतिं परमां गता: । तस्माद्‌ गार्हस्थ्यमुद्रोढुं दुष्करं प्रत्रवीमि व:,इस दुष्कर व्रतका अनुष्ठान करके देवताओंने उत्तम वैभव प्राप्त किया है। यह गृहस्थधर्मका पालन ही दुष्कर व्रत है। मैं तुमलोगोंसे इसी दुष्कर व्रतका भार उठानेके लिये कह रहा हूँ

Transliteration

devā vai duṣkaraṁ kṛtvā vibhūtiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ | tasmād gārhasthyam udroḍhuṁ duṣkaraṁ prabravīmi vaḥ ||

Translation

ఈ దుష్కర వ్రతాన్ని ఆచరించి దేవతలు పరమ వైభవాన్ని పొందారు. కాబట్టి నేను మీతో చెబుతున్నాను—గృహస్థధర్మ భారాన్ని మోసుకోవడమే దుష్కర వ్రతం; దానిని స్వీకరించండి।

Word by Word

देवाःthe gods

वैindeed

दुष्करम्a difficult (thing)

कृत्वाhaving done

विभूतिम्prosperity, glory

परमाम्supreme, highest

गताःhave attained / have gone to

तस्मात्therefore, from that (reason)

गार्हस्थ्यम्the householder state/duty

उद्रोढुम्to undertake / to mount (i.e., to take up)

दुष्करम्difficult

प्रब्रवीमिI say / I declare

वःto you / for you

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Devas (gods)

Arjuna

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 elevates gṛhastha-dharma (the householder’s responsibilities) as a demanding spiritual discipline: like the gods who gained supreme excellence through a hard vow, one should regard sustaining family and society through righteous conduct as a difficult yet ennobling vrata.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna speaks, pointing to the gods as an example of attaining greatness through arduous observance, and urges his listeners to undertake the ‘hard vow’ of the householder path—bearing its obligations as a serious ethical and spiritual commitment.