Shloka 30

Devanagari script

यज्ञार्थानि हि सृष्टानि यथार्था श्रूयते श्रुति: । एवं पूर्वतरा: सर्वे प्रवृत्ताश्वैव मानवा:,ये सारी वस्तुएँ यज्ञके लिये रची गयी हैं; यह श्रुतिका कथन यथार्थ ही है। पहलेके सभी मनुष्य इसी प्रकार यज्ञानुष्ठानमें प्रवृत्त होते आये हैं

Transliteration

yajñārthāni hi sṛṣṭāni yathārthā śrūyate śrutiḥ | evaṃ pūrvataraḥ sarve pravṛttāś caiva mānavāḥ ||

Translation

యజ్ఞార్థముగానే ఈ సమస్తములు సృష్టింపబడినవి—శ్రుతి ఈ సత్యాన్ని యథార్థముగా ప్రకటించుచున్నది. ఇదే విధంగా పూర్వకాలమున ఉన్న సమస్త మానవులు యజ్ఞానుష్ఠానములో నిమగ్నులై ఉండిరి.

Word by Word

यज्ञार्थानिthings meant for sacrifice

हिindeed/for

सृष्टानिcreated

यथार्थाःtrue/accurate

श्रूयतेis heard/is stated

श्रुतिःthe Veda/scriptural revelation

एवम्thus/in this manner

पूर्वतराःearlier/former

सर्वेall

प्रवृत्ताःengaged/occupied

एवindeed/just

मानवाःmen/humans

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kapila

Śruti (Vedic revelation)

Yajña (sacrifice)

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?

Kapila affirms a Vedic worldview in which creation is oriented toward yajña—sacrificial offering and disciplined duty—so that human life aligns with śruti and sustains dharma through ordained action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Kapila speaks as a teacher, citing śruti to justify that earlier humans consistently practiced yajña, presenting it as an ancient, normative pattern of righteous conduct.