Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 923

Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

धर्ममेव गुरु ज्ञात्वा तृष्णा न गणिता त्वया । “जब मनुष्यमें दानविषयक रुचि जाग्रत्‌ होती है

Transliteration

dharmam eva guruṁ jñātvā tṛṣṇā na gaṇitā tvayā |

Translation

岳父说道：“你唯以达摩为至上之师，连口渴也不曾计较。一个人若生起布施之心，他的达摩并不因此减损。你把达摩看得高于对妻子的眷恋与对儿子的慈爱，并为达摩而将饥渴视作不足道。”

Word by Word

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एव: indeed, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• गुरुम्: as weighty/supreme (as the highest)
• गुरुम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ज्ञात्वा: having known/considered
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

• तृष्णा: thirst, craving
• तृष्णा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृष्णा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• गणिता: counted/considered
• Type: Verb
• Root: गण्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Feminine, Nominative, Singular, Passive (PPP usage)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

श्षशुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• śvaśura (father-in-law)
• dharma
• patnī (wife)
• putra (son)
• dāna (charity)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is to be treated as the highest authority; when one’s commitment to righteous giving and duty awakens, one does not let bodily cravings (hunger, thirst) or even powerful family attachments override moral responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

A father-in-law addresses someone he is evaluating or praising, commending him for prioritizing dharma above personal comfort and familial affection, highlighting his steadfastness and ethical resolve.