Mahabharata 3.201.42 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 42

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

Devanagari script

अन्नदा: प्रथमं यान्ति सत्यवाक्‌ तदनन्तरम्‌ | अयाचितप्रदाता च सम॑ यान्ति त्रयो जना:

Transliteration

annadāḥ prathamaṃ yānti satyavāk tad-anantaram | ayācitapradātā ca samaṃ yānti trayo janāḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Mārkaṇḍeya: “Ang mga nagbibigay ng pagkain ang unang nakapapasok sa langit. Kasunod nila ang nagsasalita ng katotohanan. Pagkaraan ay ang nagbibigay nang hindi na hinihingan. Kaya ang tatlong ito—bawat isa’y may sariling anyo ng kabutihan—ay nakaaabot sa iisang mapalad na hantungan.”

Word by Word

• अन्नदाः: food-givers, donors of food
• अन्नदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्नद (अन्न + द)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रथमम्: first, at first
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रथम

• यान्ति: go, proceed
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (याति)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सत्यवाक्: truth-speaker, one who speaks truth
• सत्यवाक्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यवाच् (सत्य + वाच्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अनन्तरम्: after that, next
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर

• अयाचितप्रदाता: one who gives without being asked
• अयाचितप्रदाता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयाचितप्रदातृ (अयाचित + प्रदातृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• समम्: equally, alike
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम

• यान्ति: go, attain
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (याति)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people, persons
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse ranks three dharmic virtues—feeding others, truthfulness, and giving without solicitation—showing that while their precedence may differ, all lead to the same auspicious spiritual end.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing his listeners by stating a moral hierarchy of meritorious acts and their फल (result): entry to heaven and an equal blessed destiny for these three types of virtuous persons.