Shloka 23

Nakula’s Counsel on Yajña, Dāna, and Tyāga (नकुलोपदेशः—यज्ञदानत्यागविचारः)

Devanagari script

तत्‌ सम्प्राप्य गृहस्था ये पशुधान्यधनान्विता: । न यजन्ते महाराज शाश्रचतं तेषु किल्बिषम्‌

Transliteration

tat samprāpya gṛhasthā ye paśudhānyadhanānvitāḥ | na yajante mahārāja śāśvataṁ teṣu kilbiṣam ||

Translation

Nakula nói: “Tâu đại vương, những người gia chủ sau khi đạt được phú túc, đầy đủ gia súc, lương thực và của cải mà không cử hành tế lễ (yajña), thì mắc lỗi lâu dài; vết nhơ của tội nghiệp cứ bám lấy họ mãi.”

Word by Word

• तत्: that (thing/goal)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• सम्प्राप्य: having attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• गृहस्थाः: householders
• गृहस्थाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• ये: who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• पशु-धान्य-धन-अन्विताः: endowed with cattle, grain, and wealth
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्वित
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• यजन्ते: they perform sacrifice / they worship
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज्
• Form: present (lat), ātmanepada, third, plural

• महा-राज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• शाश्वतम्: everlasting / constant
• शाश्वतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• तेषु: in them / among them
• तेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, locative, plural

• किल्बिषम्: sin / demerit
• किल्बिषम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: किल्बिष
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

Speaker

नकुल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nakula
• Mahārāja (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Prosperity brings obligation: a householder who has gained resources (cattle, grain, wealth) should uphold dharma through yajña—understood as sacrificial duty, offering, and responsible giving; neglecting this incurs lasting moral fault (kilbiṣa).

What is happening in the narrative?

Nakula addresses the king and states a normative rule of conduct for householders: once they attain material means, they should perform yajña; failure to do so is described as an enduring ethical blemish.