Shloka 18

महाभूत–इन्द्रिय–मनस्–बुद्धि–अन्तरात्मा विवेकः | Discrimination of Elements, Senses, Mind, Intellect, and Inner Self

Devanagari script

बलवान्‌ कर्णनिर्वाक: शून्यपाल: कृतश्रम: । एनं धर्म कृतवन्तस्तत:ः स्वर्गमुपागमन्‌,तात! इस युगमें भी सर्वार्थदर्शी ब्राह्मणोंने इस वानप्रस्थ-धर्मका पालन एवं प्रसार किया। अगस्त्य, सप्तर्षिगण, मधुच्छन्द, अघमर्षण, सांकृति, सुदिवा, तण्डि, यथावास, अकृतश्रम, अहोवीर्य, काव्य (शुक्राचार्य), ताण्ड्य, मेधातिथि, बुध, शक्तिशाली कर्ण निर्वाक, शून्यपाल और कृतश्रम--इन सबने इस धर्मका पालन किया, जिससे ये सभी स्वर्गलोकको प्राप्त हुए

Transliteration

balavān karṇanirvākaḥ śūnyapālaḥ kṛtaśramaḥ | enaṃ dharmaṃ kṛtavantas tataḥ svargam upāgaman, tāta |

Translation

ویاس نے کہا—“اے عزیز فرزند! طاقتور کرن-نِروَاک، شونیہ-پال اور کِرت-شرم—انہوں نے اس دھرم کے ضابطے کو اختیار کر کے اس پر عمل کیا؛ پھر اس کے بعد وہ سُورگ لوک کو پہنچ گئے۔”

Word by Word

बलवान्powerful

कर्णनिर्वाकःKarna-nirvāka (a sage/name)

शून्यपालःŚūnya-pāla (a sage/name)

कृतश्रमःKṛtaśrama (a sage/name; lit. 'one whose toil is done')

एनम्this (him/it)

धर्मम्dharma; religious duty

कृतवन्तःdid; performed

ततःthereupon; then; from that

स्वर्गम्heaven

उपागमन्they attained; they went to

तातdear one; son (term of address)

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Karṇa-nirvāka

Śūnya-pāla

Kṛta-śrama

Svarga (heaven)

Vānaprastha-dharma (forest-dweller discipline; implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That faithfully practicing the prescribed dharma—here, the vānaprastha (forest-dweller) discipline characterized by restraint and austerity—leads to spiritual merit and an auspicious destiny such as svarga.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is citing named exemplars who practiced the stated dharma; their attainment of heaven is presented as evidence of the efficacy and authority of that way of life.