Shloka 38

अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्

Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas

Devanagari script

दैवं पित्रयं च सततं तस्य विज्ञाय तत्त्वत: । आत्मप्राप्तानि च ततः प्राप्तुवन्ति द्विजोत्तमा:

Transliteration

daivaṃ pitryaṃ ca satataṃ tasya vijñāya tattvataḥ | ātmaprāptāni ca tataḥ prāpnuvanti dvijottamāḥ ||

Translation

Nārada nói: “Những bậc ưu tú trong hàng ‘hai lần sinh’, khi đã hiểu đúng theo chân lý các nghi lễ dâng lên chư thiên và các nghi lễ dành cho tổ tiên (pitṛ) cần được thực hành vì mục đích ấy, thì nhờ đó họ đạt được điều mình cầu—những lợi ích vốn phải đến với tự ngã qua nghi lễ và tri kiến được hướng dẫn đúng đắn.”

Word by Word

• दैवम्: divine rite/duty (pertaining to the gods)
• दैवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पित्र्यम्: ancestral rite/duty (pertaining to the Pitṛs)
• पित्र्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पित्र्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• सततम्: always/constantly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत

• तस्य: of that / its
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• विज्ञाय: having known/understood
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ज्ञा
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• तत्त्वतः: in truth; correctly; as it really is
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्वतस्

• आत्मप्राप्तानि: desired/aimed-at (lit. self-attained/one's own sought) things
• आत्मप्राप्तानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मप्राप्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ततः: thereupon; from that (knowledge/practice)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• प्राप्नुवन्ति: they obtain/attain
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Parasmaipada, Third, Plural

• द्विजोत्तमाः: best of the twice-born (excellent Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजोत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• dvijottamāḥ (best among the twice-born)
• devas (gods)
• pitṛs (ancestors)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True understanding of both divine (deva-related) and ancestral (pitṛ-related) duties, performed with correct intent and knowledge, leads to the rightful attainment of one’s desired aims; ritual is framed as effective when grounded in tattva (accurate understanding).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Narada’s instruction within the Śānti Parva’s dharma discourse, he emphasizes the proper comprehension and regular performance of deva- and pitṛ-obligations by the dvijas, presenting these as means by which they secure their intended results.