Shloka 3

Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya

Devanagari script

कम्मिंश्षात्मा निधातव्यस्त्रिवर्गविजयाय वै । संहृष्टा नै्ठिकं वाक्यं यथावद्‌ वक्तुमर्हथ

Transliteration

kasmiṁś cātmā nidhātavyas trivarga-vijayāya vai | saṁhṛṣṭā naiṣṭhikaṁ vākyaṁ yathāvad vaktum arhatha ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: “Vậy, để chế ngự trọn vẹn ba mục tiêu ấy, tâm nên đặt vững chắc nhất vào điều gì? Hãy vui lòng và kiên quyết, đáp câu hỏi này cho đúng—hãy nói lời dạy mà các ngươi tin tưởng trọn vẹn và đã định chắc trong lòng.”

Word by Word

• कस्मिन्: in which (one)
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आत्मा: the mind/self
• आत्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निधातव्यः: should be placed/fixed
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-धा
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, तव्यत् (gerundive/obligative)

• त्रिवर्गविजयाय: for the conquest of the three aims (dharma-artha-kama)
• त्रिवर्गविजयाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिवर्ग-विजय
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• वै: indeed/assuredly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• संहृष्टाः: delighted/cheerful
• संहृष्टाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सं-हृष्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past participle)

• नैष्ठिकम्: firm/steadfast (from conviction)
• नैष्ठिकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैष्ठिक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वाक्यम्: statement/answer
• वाक्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथावत्: properly/as it should be
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत्

• वक्तुम्: to speak
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: तुमुन् (infinitive)

• अर्हथ: you are able/you ought
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह्
• Form: Present, Second, Plural, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical inquiry: to master the three worldly aims (dharma, artha, kāma), one must fix the mind upon a chosen foundation, and the respondents are urged to speak a correct teaching grounded in firm personal conviction (naiṣṭhikī niṣṭhā).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana introduces a question being posed to a group of respondents: they are asked, with enthusiasm and seriousness, to declare what the mind should be anchored in to achieve mastery over the trivarga, and to answer in a properly reasoned and sincerely held way.