Shloka 18

महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self

Devanagari script

बलवान्‌ कर्णनिर्वाक: शून्यपाल: कृतश्रम: । एनं धर्म कृतवन्तस्तत:ः स्वर्गमुपागमन्‌

Transliteration

balavān karṇanirvākaḥ śūnyapālaḥ kṛtaśramaḥ | enaṃ dharmaṃ kṛtavantas tataḥ svargam upāgaman, tāta |

Translation

వ్యాసుడు చెప్పెను—“తాత! బలవంతుడైన కర్ణనిర్వాకుడు, శూన్యపాలుడు, కృతశ్రముడు—ఈ ధర్మవిధానాన్ని స్వీకరించి ఆచరించి, అనంతరం స్వర్గలోకాన్ని పొందిరి.”

Word by Word

• बलवान्: powerful
• बलवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कर्णनिर्वाकः: Karna-nirvāka (a sage/name)
• कर्णनिर्वाकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णनिर्वाक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शून्यपालः: Śūnya-pāla (a sage/name)
• शून्यपालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शून्यपाल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कृतश्रमः: Kṛtaśrama (a sage/name; lit. 'one whose toil is done')
• कृतश्रमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतश्रम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एनम्: this (him/it)
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• धर्मम्: dharma; religious duty
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कृतवन्तः: did; performed
• कृतवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (कृतवत्)
• Form: Perfect (periphrastic perfect via कृतवत्), Third, Plural, Masculine, Nominative

• ततः: thereupon; then; from that
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उपागमन्: they attained; they went to
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-गम्
• Form: Aorist (augmentless/epic aorist), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• तात: dear one; son (term of address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Karṇa-nirvāka
• Śūnya-pāla
• Kṛta-śrama
• Svarga (heaven)
• Vānaprastha-dharma (forest-dweller discipline; implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That faithfully practicing the prescribed dharma—here, the vānaprastha (forest-dweller) discipline characterized by restraint and austerity—leads to spiritual merit and an auspicious destiny such as svarga.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is citing named exemplars who practiced the stated dharma; their attainment of heaven is presented as evidence of the efficacy and authority of that way of life.