Shloka 14

कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्

Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire

Devanagari script

अश्रद्दधान एवैको देवानां नाते हवि: । तस्यैवान्नं न भोक्तव्यमिति धर्मविदो विदु:

Transliteration

aśraddadhāna evaiko devānāṃ nāte haviḥ | tasyaivānnaṃ na bhoktavyam iti dharmavido viduḥ ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—శ్రద్ధలేని వాడు ఒంటరిగా దేవతలకు నిజంగా అర్పణయోగ్యం కాని హవిని అర్పిస్తే, ధర్మవేత్తలు అతని అన్నమును కూడ భుజించరాదని చెప్పుదురు.

Word by Word

अश्रद्दधानःfaithless, without श्रद्धा

एवindeed, only

एकःalone, single

देवानाम्of/for the gods

नnot

अतेeats/consumes

हविःoblation, sacrificial offering

तस्यof him

एवindeed, only

अन्नम्food

नnot

भोक्तव्यम्should be eaten (is to be eaten)

इतिthus, 'that'

धर्मविदःknowers of dharma

विदुःknow, have known

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

devas (the gods)

havis (oblation)

anna (food)

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?

Ritual action (like offering haviḥ) is ethically valid only when grounded in śraddhā and proper intention toward the devas; when faith is absent, the act is considered defective, and even accepting the person’s food is discouraged because it signifies association with that flawed disposition.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he cites the view of dharma-knowers that offerings made without faith are not truly ‘for the gods,’ and therefore one should avoid partaking of the food of such a faithless performer.