Shloka 30

Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

प्राणत्यागं कुरुश्रेष्ठ चकारैवाविचारयन्‌ । स लोकानक्षयान प्राप्तो देवप्रियकरस्तदा

Transliteration

prāṇatyāgaṃ kuruśreṣṭha cakāraivāvicārayan | sa lokān akṣayān prāpto devapriyakaraḥ tadā ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：“噢，俱卢族中最杰出者！他毫不停顿、未作思量，确实舍弃了生命。因为他为取悦诸天而行，便在那时得至不朽不坏的世界。”

Word by Word

• {'prāṇatyāgam': 'abandoning life

• relinquishing one’s vital breath', 'kuruśreṣṭha': 'O best among the Kurus (address to the listener, typically Janamejaya)', 'cakāra': 'did

• performed', 'eva': 'indeed

• emphatically', 'avicārayan': 'without deliberation

• without hesitation', 'saḥ': 'he', 'lokān': 'worlds

• realms of existence', 'akṣayān': 'imperishable

• undecaying', 'prāptaḥ': 'attained

• reached', 'deva': 'the gods', 'priya-karaḥ': 'one who does what is pleasing

• benefactor (lit. ‘maker of what is dear’)', 'tadā': 'then

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Kuruśreṣṭha (addressee, best of the Kurus)
• Devas (gods)
• Dadhīci (implied by the narrative context)
• Akṣaya-lokas (imperishable worlds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse upholds the dharmic ideal of selfless giving: when a righteous cause demands it, one may renounce even life without selfish calculation. Such action, done to benefit others and uphold cosmic order, is portrayed as leading to imperishable spiritual reward.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that, upon the gods’ earnest request (contextually, for his bones), the sage Dadhīci does not hesitate and gives up his life. Because this act pleases and benefits the gods, he attains the ‘akṣaya’ (imperishable) worlds.