Shloka 20

अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः

Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’

Devanagari script

सुखात्‌ त्वं दुःखमापन्न: पुनरापत्स्यसे सुखम्‌ | न नित्यं लभते दुःखं न नित्यं लभते सुखम्‌

Transliteration

sukhāt tvaṁ duḥkham āpannaḥ punar āpatsyase sukham | na nityaṁ labhate duḥkhaṁ na nityaṁ labhate sukham ||

Translation

Bà-la-môn nói: “Từ hạnh phúc ngươi đã rơi vào sầu khổ, rồi lại sẽ trở về hạnh phúc. Khổ đau không bao giờ được hưởng mãi, mà hạnh phúc cũng không bao giờ được hưởng mãi.”

Word by Word

• सुखात्: from happiness
• सुखात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• दुःखम्: sorrow, suffering
• दुःखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आपन्नः: having fallen into / having reached
• आपन्नः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आपन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• आपत्स्यसे: you will attain / reach
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Second, Singular, Ātmanepada

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• नित्यम्: always, perpetually
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular, Adverbial (accusative of extent/manner)

• लभते: one obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ्
• Form: Present (Laṭ), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada

• दुःखम्: sorrow
• दुःखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• नित्यम्: always
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular, Adverbial (accusative of extent/manner)

• लभते: one obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ्
• Form: Present (Laṭ), Third, Singular, Ātmanepada

• सुखम्: happiness
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• ब्राह्मण (Brahmin speaker)
• त्वम् (the addressed person)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the impermanence of both pleasure and pain: conditions change, so one should not despair in suffering nor become complacent in happiness, but cultivate steadiness and right conduct (dharma) through both.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, a Brahmin addresses someone undergoing distress, offering counsel meant to calm grief and restore perspective by reminding them that misfortune and good fortune alternate and neither lasts forever.