Shloka 7

Devanagari script

परच्छिन्नै: काष्ठतृणैर्मयेदं शरणं कृतम्‌ | अतक्तं पद्मकं तुड़ गन्धांश्लोच्चावचांस्तथा,मैंने दूसरोंके द्वारा काटे गये काठ और घास-फूससे यह घर तैयार किया है। अलक्तक (वृक्षविशेषकी छाल), पद्मक (पद्माख), तुंगकाष्ठ तथा चन्दनादि गन्धद्रव्य एवं अन्य छोटी- बड़ी वस्तुओंको मैं दूसरोंसे खरीदकर बेचता हूँ

Transliteration

tulādhāra uvāca | paracchinnaiḥ kāṣṭha-tṛṇair mayedaṃ śaraṇaṃ kṛtam | alaktakaṃ padmakaṃ tuṅga-gandhāṃś ca uccāvacāṃs tathā |

Translation

Wika ni Tulādhāra: “Ang silungang ito ay ginawa ko mula sa kahoy at damong pinutol na ng iba. Gayundin, ang mga bagay na gaya ng alaktaka, padmaka, kahoy na tuṅga, sandalwood at iba pang mababangong sangkap—iba’t ibang uri, maliit man o malaki—ay kinukuha ko sa iba sa pamamagitan ng kalakalan.”

Word by Word

• {'tulādhāraḥ': 'Tulādhāra (a merchant

• literally ‘bearer of the balance/scale’)', 'uvāca': 'said', 'paracchinnaiḥ': 'cut by others

• obtained through others’ labor', 'kāṣṭha': 'wood, timber', 'tṛṇa': 'grass, straw', 'mayā': 'by me', 'idam': 'this', 'śaraṇam': 'shelter, dwelling, refuge', 'kṛtam': 'made, constructed', 'alaktakam': 'alaktaka

• here treated as a trade good)', 'padmakam': 'padmaka

• a fragrant wood (commonly associated with a variety of Prunus used in perfumery)', 'tuṅga': 'tuṅga-wood

• a kind of timber used as a trade commodity', 'gandhān': 'fragrances

• fragrant substances', 'uccāvacān': 'of various kinds

• high and low, great and small', 'tathā': 'and also

Speaker

तुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Tulādhāra
• śaraṇa (dwelling/shelter)
• kāṣṭha (wood)
• tṛṇa (grass/straw)
• alaktaka
• padmaka
• tuṅga (wood)
• candana (sandalwood; implied by the Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Tulādhāra frames ethical livelihood as dharma: he lives without forcibly taking resources, using materials and goods obtained through others and through exchange. The emphasis is on restraint, non-appropriation, and moral accountability in ordinary economic life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s didactic dialogue, Tulādhāra explains his way of life. He describes how his home is built from wood and grass cut by others and how he trades in fragrant woods and substances, using this as a concrete example of living without violence or exploitation.