Shloka 20
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
Devanagari script
पेयापेये कुत: सिद्धिर्हिंसन्ति च परस्परम् | गम्यागम्यं तदा नासीत् स्वं परस्वं च वै समम्
Transliteration
peyāpeye kutaḥ siddhir hiṃsanti ca parasparam | gamyāgamyaṃ tadā nāsīt svaṃ parasvaṃ ca vai samam ||
Translation
婆苏诃罗摩说道：“那时又怎会有关于可饮与不可饮的定则？众人开始彼此伤害。其时，连可近与不可近的分别也消失了；自己的财物与他人的财物，被视作无异。”
Word by Word
पेयापेयेin (the matter of) drinkable and undrinkable (things)
पेयापेये:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपेय + अपेय
Formneuter, locative, dual
कुतःwhence? how?
कुतः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकुतः
सिद्धिःcertainty/settled decision
सिद्धिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसिद्धि
Formfeminine, nominative, singular
हिंसन्तिthey injure/kill
हिंसन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootहिंस्
Formpresent, 3rd, plural, parasmaipada
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
परस्परम्mutually, one another
परस्परम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपरस्पर
गम्यागम्यम्what is accessible and inaccessible (fit/unfit to be gone to)
गम्यागम्यम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगम्य + अगम्य
Formneuter, nominative, singular
तदाthen, at that time
तदा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
आसीत्was/existed
आसीत्:
TypeVerb
Rootअस्
Formimperfect, 3rd, singular, parasmaipada
स्वम्one's own (property)
स्वम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootस्व
Formneuter, nominative, singular
परस्वम्another's (property)
परस्वम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootपर + स्व
Formneuter, nominative, singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
वैindeed
वै:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै
समम्equal, the same
समम्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसम
Formneuter, nominative, singular
Speaker
वसुहरोम उवाच
Characters & Entities
व
वसुहरोम (Vasuharoma)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
When dharma collapses, even basic moral discriminations (permitted/forbidden, mine/others’) lose force, leading to mutual violence and social breakdown.
Vasuharoma describes a degenerate time in which norms about conduct and consumption no longer hold, people harm each other, and property boundaries are ignored as if all wealth were the same.