Mahabharata — Vana Parva, Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

हिरण्यदा: सुखं यान्ति पुरुषास्त्वभ्यलंकृता: । भूमिदास्तु सुखं यान्ति सर्वे: कामै: सुतर्पिता:

Transliteration

hiraṇyadāḥ sukhaṃ yānti puruṣāstv abhya­laṅkṛtāḥ | bhūmidāstu sukhaṃ yānti sarvaiḥ kāmaiḥ sutarpitāḥ ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: Ang mga nagkaloob ng ginto ay naglalakbay sa landas na iyon nang masaya, pinalamutian ng sari-saring hiyas. Ngunit ang mga nagkaloob ng lupa ay naglalakbay din nang maligaya, lubos na nasisiyahan sa bawat ninanais na ligaya—nakamtan ang ganap na kaganapan sa bunga ng kanilang pagkakawanggawa.

Word by Word

• हिरण्यदाः: givers of gold
• हिरण्यदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्यद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सुखम्: happiness/comfort
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• पुरुषाः: men/persons
• पुरुषाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• अभ्यलंकृताः: adorned, decorated
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि-√अलंकृ (धातु) / अलंकृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त)

• भूमिदाः: givers of land
• भूमिदाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमिद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सुखम्: happiness/comfort
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• सर्वैः: with all
• सर्वैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• कामैः: with desired enjoyments/objects of desire
• कामैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सुतर्पिताः: fully satisfied
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-√तृप् (धातु) / तर्पित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, Past passive participle (क्त)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• gold (hiraṇya)
• land (bhūmi)
• ornaments (alaṅkāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that charitable giving (dāna) yields auspicious results: donating gold brings a pleasant post-mortem passage marked by honor and adornment, while donating land is portrayed as even more fulfilling, granting comprehensive satisfaction of desires—highlighting the superior merit traditionally associated with bhūmi-dāna.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a discourse describing the fruits of different kinds of gifts. He contrasts the outcomes for donors of gold and donors of land, depicting their happy onward journey and the rewards they experience as a consequence of their generosity.