Shloka 22

Adhyaya 24 — The Fowler's Discourse

Sanskrit

तस्मान्नरेण तन्मूलः कार्यो यत्नः कृतात्मना ।

कर्तव्यः पुण्यसक्तानां न किञ्चिद्भुवि दुर्लभम् ॥

Transliteration

tasmān nareṇa tan-mūlaḥ kāryo yatnaḥ kṛtātmanā / kartavyaḥ puṇya-saktānāṃ na kiñcid bhuvi durlabham

Translation

ฉะนั้น บุรุษผู้สำรวมตนพึงเพียรมุ่งสู่รากแห่งธรรม(บุญ)นั้น เพราะสำหรับผู้ตั้งมั่นในธรรมแล้ว ไม่มีสิ่งใดบนแผ่นดินที่ได้มายาก

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Reason (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablatival adverb (तस्मात्-प्रयोगः), ‘therefore/from that’ (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)

• nareṇa: by a man
• nareṇa: Karta/Agent (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat-mūlaḥ: having that as its root
• tat-mūlaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of ‘yatnaḥ’ (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘having that as root’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kāryaḥ: to be done / should be made
• kāryaḥ: Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kārya (कृदन्त, भाव्य/कार्य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Gerundive/obligatory participle (कर्तव्य/कार्य), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• yatnaḥ: effort
• yatnaḥ: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṛta-ātmanā: by one of controlled self
• kṛta-ātmanā: Karta-instrumental qualifier (कर्ता-विशेषण, तृतीया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘one whose self is disciplined/formed’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kartavyaḥ: must be done
• kartavyaḥ: Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kartavya (कृदन्त, तव्यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Gerundive (कर्तव्य), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• puṇya-saktānām: of those devoted to merit
• puṇya-saktānām: Sambandha/Genitive (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + sakta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘attached to merit’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• kiñcit: anything
• kiñcit: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); indefinite pronoun ‘anything’

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikaraṇa/Location (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक: bhūmi/bhū)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• durlabham: hard to obtain
• durlabham: Predicate adjective of ‘kiñcit’ (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Human speaker (didactic conclusion) to the Nāga-lord

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Self-control (dama) and moral effort
• Puṇya-centric life strategy
• Dharma as enabling prosperity

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ethical program is clear: discipline + merit-making action yields both inner stability and outer attainments; dharma is portrayed as practical power.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Normative dharma teaching; not pancalakṣaṇa content.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Root’ suggests causal primacy: by correcting the subtle cause (intent and conduct), the many branches of life (results) are harmonized without direct grasping.