Shanti Parva Adhyaya 242 Shloka 15 - Mahabharata | Thai | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 15

Ātma-saṃyama-dharma: One-pointedness of Mind and Senses (शुक–व्यास संवादः)

Devanagari script

चतुष्पदी हि नि:श्रेणी ब्रह्मण्येषा प्रतिष्िता । एतामारुहा[ नि:श्रेणीं ब्रह्मलोके महीयते

Transliteration

catuṣpadī hi niḥśreṇī brahmaṇy eṣā pratiṣṭhitā | etām āruhya niḥśreṇīṁ brahmaloke mahīyate ||

Translation

อาศรมทั้งสี่นี้ตั้งมั่นอยู่ในพรหมโดยแท้ และเปรียบดังบันไดสี่ขั้นที่นำไปสู่พรหม ผู้ใดไต่บันไดนี้ ย่อมได้รับเกียรติในพรหมโลก

Word by Word

चतुष्पदीfour-stepped

हिindeed/for

निःश्रेणीladder/stairway

ब्रह्मण्याleading to Brahman / pertaining to Brahman

एषाthis

प्रतिष्ठिताestablished/founded

एताम्this (her/it)

आरुह्यhaving climbed

निःश्रेणीम्the ladder/stairway

ब्रह्मलोकेin the world of Brahman

महीयतेis honored/is glorified

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Brahman

Brahmaloka

niḥśreṇī (four-stepped ladder, metaphor)

catuṣpadī (four steps, implying the four āśramas)

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?

The verse teaches that the four āśramas (stages of life) function like a four-rung ladder grounded in Brahman; by properly living and completing this graded discipline, one becomes fit for the highest spiritual honor—attainment of Brahmaloka/realization oriented toward Brahman.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is explaining a doctrinal point within Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma: he frames the āśrama system as a structured path of ascent, emphasizing its spiritual purpose rather than merely social organization.