Shloka 59

तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः

Instruction on the Cessation of Craving

Devanagari script

न प्रवृत्तिऋते शास्त्रात्‌ काचिदस्तीति निश्चय: । यदन्यद्‌ वेदवादेभ्यस्तदशास्त्रमिति श्रुति:

Transliteration

na pravṛttir ṛte śāstrāt kācid astīti niścayaḥ | yad anyad vedavādebhyaḥ tad aśāstram iti śrutiḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Kapila: “Ito ang tiyak na pasya: walang landas ng pagkilos na magiging wasto kung hiwalay sa patnubay ng śāstra. Anumang sumasalungat sa mga pahayag ng Veda, ayon sa śruti, ay dapat ituring na aśāstra (di-makaśāstra).”

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'pravṛttiḥ': 'engagement in action

• practical conduct', 'ṛte': 'without

• apart from', 'śāstrāt': 'from śāstra

• from authoritative teaching/scripture', 'kācid': 'any (at all)', 'asti': 'exists

• is', 'iti': 'thus

• so (quotative particle)', 'niścayaḥ': 'certainty

• settled conclusion', 'yat': 'whatever which', 'anyat': 'other

• divergent', 'vedavādebhyaḥ': 'from the Vedic statements/teachings', 'tat': 'that', 'aśāstram': 'non-scriptural

• unauthorized', 'śrutiḥ': 'revealed scripture

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kapila
• Śāstra
• Śruti
• Veda

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kapila asserts śāstra as the decisive standard for dharmic conduct: action (pravṛtti) becomes legitimate and fruitful only when aligned with scriptural injunctions, and anything contradicting Vedic revelation (śruti) is to be rejected as aśāstra.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Kapila is laying down a criterion for evaluating practices and doctrines: he distinguishes authorized conduct grounded in śāstra/śruti from unauthorized innovations that conflict with Vedic teaching.