Mahabharata 3.201.50 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 50

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

हयादीनां प्रकृष्टानि ते5ध्वानं यान्ति वै नरा: । संनिवार्यातपं यान्ति छत्रेणैव हि छत्रदा:

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

hayādīnāṃ prakṛṣṭāni te 'dhvānaṃ yānti vai narāḥ |

saṃnivāryātapaṃ yānti chatreṇaiva hi chatradāḥ |

Translation

ไวศัมปายนะกล่าวว่า—ผู้ใดในโลกนี้ได้ถวายพาหนะอันประเสริฐ เช่น ม้าชั้นดีและพาหนะอื่น ๆ แก่พราหมณ์ ผู้นั้นย่อมเดินทางไปตามหนทางเบื้องหน้าอย่างสะดวก ด้วยพาหนะเหล่านั้นเอง. และข้าแต่พระราชา ผู้ถวายฉัตรย่อมบังแดดด้วยฉัตรที่ตนได้มา ณ ที่นั้น.

Word by Word

• हयादीनाम्: of horses etc. (vehicles)
• हयादीनाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हयादि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• प्रकृष्टानि: excellent (ones)
• प्रकृष्टानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकृष्ट
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• ते: those (men)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अध्वानम्: the path/journey
• अध्वानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यान्ति: go, travel
• यान्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: या
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• संनिवार्य: having warded off
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + नि + वृ
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Active

• आतपम्: heat/sunshine
• आतपम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आतप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• यान्ति: go, proceed
• यान्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: या
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• छत्रेण: by an umbrella
• छत्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्र
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• एव: only/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• हि: for/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• छत्रदाः: umbrella-givers (donors of umbrellas)
• छत्रदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: छत्रद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• horses (haya)
• vehicles/conveyances (ādi)
• road/path (adhvan)
• umbrella (chatra)
• sun-heat (ātapa)
• men/people (narāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Righteous giving (dāna), especially of practical supports like transport and shelter, returns as corresponding aid and protection in the next journey; the fruit of charity mirrors the nature of the gift.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the post-mortem results of specific gifts: donors of excellent horses/vehicles travel comfortably, and donors of umbrellas walk protected from the sun by the very umbrellas gained there.