Shloka 10

Āpad-dharma and Discernment in Livelihood (आपद्धर्मे विज्ञानबलम्)

Devanagari script

यम उवाच तपःशौचवता नित्यं सत्यधर्मरतेन च | मातापित्रोरहरह: पूजनं कार्यमज्जसा,यमराजने कहा--ब्रह्मन्‌! मनुष्य तप करे, बाहर-भीतरसे पवित्र रहे और सदा सत्यभाषणरूप धर्मके पालनमें तत्पर रहे। यह सब करते हुए ही उसे नित्यप्रति माता- पिताकी सेवा-पूजा करनी चाहिये

Transliteration

yama uvāca tapaḥ-śaucavatā nityaṁ satya-dharma-ratena ca | mātā-pitror ahar-ahaḥ pūjanaṁ kāryam ajjasā ||

Translation

యముడు పలికెను—మనిషి నిత్యం తపస్సు చేయాలి, బాహ్యాంతర శుచిత్వాన్ని కాపాడాలి, సత్యధర్మంలో ఎల్లప్పుడూ నిమగ్నుడై ఉండాలి. ఇవన్నీ ఆచరిస్తూనే ఆలస్యం లేక ప్రతిదినం తల్లిదండ్రులకు సేవా-పూజలు చేయవలెను.

Word by Word

यमःYama

उवाचsaid

तपःausterity

शौचवताby/with one who is pure; by purity

नित्यम्always

सत्यtruth

धर्मdharma, righteousness

रतेनby one devoted/engaged

चand

माताof (one's) mother

पित्रोःof the two parents (mother and father)

अहरहःday by day, daily

पूजनम्worship, honoring

कार्यम्to be done, should be done

अज्जसाstraightaway, certainly, without delay

Speaker

यम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yama

mother

father

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True dharma is not only personal discipline (tapas) and inner–outer purity (śauca) with steadfast truthfulness (satya), but also the concrete daily duty of honoring and serving one’s parents.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Yama speaks as an authority on moral law, prescribing a practical code: cultivate austerity, purity, and truth, and alongside these virtues perform daily reverence toward one’s mother and father.