Shloka 11

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचु: ऋणिनो मानवा ब्रह्मन्‌ जायन्ते येन तच्छूणु । क्रियाभिन्रह्मचर्येण प्रजया च न संशय:

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ—ṛṇino mānavā brahman jāyante yena tac chṛṇu | kriyābhir brahmacaryeṇa prajayā ca na saṃśayaḥ |

Translation

เหล่าเทพกล่าวว่า “โอ พราหมณ์! จงฟังเหตุที่มนุษย์ทั้งหลายเกิดมาเป็นผู้มีหนี้กรรม ไม่มีข้อสงสัยว่า มนุษย์ทุกคนมีพันธะอยู่สามประการ คือ หน้าที่แห่งยัญพิธี การประพฤติพรหมจรรย์ และการให้กำเนิดบุตรสืบสกุล”

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ऊचुः: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• ऋणिनः: debt-bound, indebted
• ऋणिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऋणिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• जायन्ते: are born
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada

• येन: by which (cause)
• येन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शृणु: hear (listen)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• क्रियाभिः: by rites/acts
• क्रियाभिः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Plural

• ब्रह्मचर्येण: by brahmacarya (celibate studentship)
• ब्रह्मचर्येण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रजया: by progeny/offspring
• प्रजया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

मन्दपाल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• देवाः (the gods)
• ब्रह्मन् (a brahmin sage, addressed)
• मानवाः (human beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Humans are born with obligations (ṛṇa) that must be repaid through dharmic life: ritual duty (yajña/karma), disciplined Vedic conduct (brahmacarya and study), and continuation of lineage through offspring (prajā). A complete life is framed as responsibly discharging these debts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Divine beings instruct a brahmin sage about the inborn human obligations and imply that, although he practices austerity and sacrifice, he remains deficient in the debt connected with progeny because he has no children.