Shloka 36

त्रिवर्गविचारः

Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma

Devanagari script

दान्तस्य किमरण्येन तथा5दान्तस्थ भारत । यत्रैव निवसेद्‌ दान्तस्तदरण्यं स चाश्रम:

Transliteration

dāntasya kim araṇyena tathā adāntasya bhārata | yatraiva nivased dāntas tad araṇyaṃ sa cāśramaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，自制之人何须入林？不自制之人纵居林中又有何益？凡持戒自律者所居之处，即是他的森林，即是他的精舍（āśrama）。”

Word by Word

• dāntasya: of the self-controlled (man)
• dāntasya: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dānta
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• kim: what (use)? / why?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim

• araṇyena: by/with the forest; with living in a forest
• araṇyena: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: araṇya
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• tathā: so; likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā

• adāntasya: of the uncontrolled (man)
• adāntasya: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adānta
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra

• eva: indeed; just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva

• nivased: should dwell
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vas
• Form: optative (vidhi-liṅ), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• dāntaḥ: the self-controlled (man)
• dāntaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dānta
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• tad: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• araṇyam: forest
• Type: Noun
• Root: araṇya
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca

• saḥ: he/that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• āśramaḥ: hermitage; āśrama
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

External renunciation (living in a forest) has value only when grounded in inner restraint. True ‘forest’ and ‘hermitage’ are defined by self-control; without it, changing location or lifestyle brings little spiritual benefit.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma emphasizes ethical cultivation after the war, teaching that discipline and mastery of the senses are more essential than outward marks of ascetic life.