Shloka 13

नारद–असित (देवल) संवादः — भूतप्रभवाप्यय, इन्द्रिय-गुण-विवेक, क्षेत्रज्ञ-तत्त्व

Devanagari script

गच्छत्येव परित्यागी वानप्रस्थक्ष गच्छति । गृहस्थो ब्रह्म॒चारी च उभौ तावपि गच्छत:,संन्यासी परमपदको प्राप्त कर सकता है, वानप्रस्थ भी वहीं जा सकता है। गृहस्थ और ब्रह्मचारी--ये दोनों भी उसी पदको प्राप्त हो सकते हैं

Transliteration

gacchaty eva parityāgī vānaprasthaś ca gacchati | gṛhastho brahmacārī ca ubhau tāv api gacchataḥ ||

Translation

త్యాగి సన్న్యాసి తప్పక ఆ పరమపదాన్ని చేరుతాడు; వానప్రస్థుడూ అక్కడికి చేరగలడు. గృహస్థుడు, బ్రహ్మచారి—ఈ ఇద్దరూ కూడా అదే పరమస్థితిని పొందగలరు.

Word by Word

गच्छतिgoes

एवindeed/only

परित्यागीthe renouncer

वानप्रस्थःthe forest-dweller (vānaprastha)

चand

गच्छतिgoes

गृहस्थःthe householder

ब्रह्मचारीthe celibate student (brahmacārin)

चand

उभौboth

तौthose two

अपिalso/even

गच्छतःboth go

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

parityāgī (renunciant)

vānaprastha (forest-dweller)

gṛhastha (householder)

brahmacārī (celibate student)

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?

All four āśramas—student, householder, forest-dweller, and renunciant—can lead to the supreme goal when lived with genuine detachment, self-control, and dharmic conduct; liberation is grounded in inner realization rather than mere external renunciation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kapila is instructing his listener within the Śānti Parva’s philosophical discourse, emphasizing that spiritual attainment is accessible across life-stages and is determined by the quality of one’s practice and understanding.