Shloka 37

अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः

Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’

Devanagari script

नित्यं प्रमुदिता मूढा दिवि देवगणा इव । अवलेपेन महता परिभूत्या विचेतस:

Transliteration

nityaṁ pramuditā mūḍhā divi devagaṇā iva | avalepena mahatā paribhūtyā vicetasaḥ ||

Translation

พราหมณ์กล่าวว่า— “พวกเขาชื่นบานอยู่เสมอ ประหนึ่งหมู่เทพในสวรรค์—แต่เป็นเพียงภาพลักษณ์ภายนอกเท่านั้น ด้วยความทะนงตนใหญ่หลวงและความเคยชินในการดูหมิ่นผู้อื่น จิตของเขาจึงหวั่นไหว ไร้ความแยบคาย”

Word by Word

नित्यम्always

प्रमुदिताःdelighted, very joyful

मूढाःdeluded, foolish

दिविin heaven

देवगणाःhosts of gods

इवlike, as if

अवलेपेनby arrogance, through conceit

महताgreat, excessive

परिभूत्याby contempt, by disparagement

विचेतसःsenseless, devoid of understanding

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (speaker)

द

देवगण (hosts of gods)

द

दिवि (heaven)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Joy or prosperity without discernment can turn into delusion; arrogance and contempt for others destabilize the mind and lead one away from dharma. The verse warns that outward ‘heaven-like’ ease can mask inner moral decline when pride dominates.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, a Brahmin speaker is describing a type of person (or group) who remains constantly pleased yet foolish, comparing them to heavenly beings in demeanor, while emphasizing that their arrogance and disparagement of others make them mentally confused.