Shloka 22

Adhyaya 24 — Kuvalayashva’s Refusal of Gifts and the Vision of Madalasa’s Maya

Sanskrit

तस्मान्नरेण तन्मूलः कार्यो यत्नः कृतात्मना ।

कर्तव्यः पुण्यसक्तानां न किञ्चिद्भुवि दुर्लभम् ॥

Transliteration

tasmān nareṇa tan-mūlaḥ kāryo yatnaḥ kṛtātmanā / kartavyaḥ puṇya-saktānāṃ na kiñcid bhuvi durlabham

Translation

Vì vậy, người biết tự chế phải nỗ lực hướng đến cội rễ của công đức ấy. Đối với những ai chuyên tâm nơi công đức, trên cõi đời này không có gì là khó đạt được.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Reason (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablatival adverb (तस्मात्-प्रयोगः), ‘therefore/from that’ (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)

• nareṇa: by a man
• nareṇa: Karta/Agent (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat-mūlaḥ: having that as its root
• tat-mūlaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa of ‘yatnaḥ’ (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + mūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘having that as root’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kāryaḥ: to be done / should be made
• kāryaḥ: Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kārya (कृदन्त, भाव्य/कार्य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Gerundive/obligatory participle (कर्तव्य/कार्य), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• yatnaḥ: effort
• yatnaḥ: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṛta-ātmanā: by one of controlled self
• kṛta-ātmanā: Karta-instrumental qualifier (कर्ता-विशेषण, तृतीया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘one whose self is disciplined/formed’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kartavyaḥ: must be done
• kartavyaḥ: Predicate adjective (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kartavya (कृदन्त, तव्यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Gerundive (कर्तव्य), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• puṇya-saktānām: of those devoted to merit
• puṇya-saktānām: Sambandha/Genitive (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + sakta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘attached to merit’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• kiñcit: anything
• kiñcit: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); indefinite pronoun ‘anything’

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikaraṇa/Location (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक: bhūmi/bhū)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• durlabham: hard to obtain
• durlabham: Predicate adjective of ‘kiñcit’ (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Human speaker (didactic conclusion) to the Nāga-lord

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Self-control (dama) and moral effort
• Puṇya-centric life strategy
• Dharma as enabling prosperity

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ethical program is clear: discipline + merit-making action yields both inner stability and outer attainments; dharma is portrayed as practical power.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Normative dharma teaching; not pancalakṣaṇa content.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Root’ suggests causal primacy: by correcting the subtle cause (intent and conduct), the many branches of life (results) are harmonized without direct grasping.