Shloka 3

कालनियमः शोकशमनं च

Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief

Devanagari script

स्वाध्याययज्ञसंसिद्धा दृश्यन्ते बहवो जना: । तपोरताश्न मुनयो येषां लोका: सनातना:

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: svādhyāya-yajña-saṁsiddhā dṛśyante bahavo janāḥ | tapo-ratāś ca munayo yeṣāṁ lokāḥ sanātanāḥ ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说道：“人们见到许多人仅凭‘自习之祭’（svādhyāya，自诵自学圣典）便得圆满成就。又有许多牟尼安住于苦行（tapas），以至于永恒诸界皆为其所可证得——这表明，严谨的学习与持久的苦行，确是通向长久灵果的正道。”

Word by Word

• स्वाध्याययज्ञसंसिद्धाः: perfected/fulfilled by the sacrifice of self-study
• स्वाध्याययज्ञसंसिद्धाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाध्याय-यज्ञ-संसिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen / are found
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Ātmanepada, Passive/Impersonal (भावे/कर्मणि प्रयोग)

• बहवः: many
• बहवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तपोरताः: engaged in austerity
• तपोरताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तपस्-रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• येषाम्: of whom / whose
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• लोकाः: worlds/realms
• लोकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सनातनाः: eternal
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• janāḥ (people)
• munayaḥ (sages)
• svādhyāya-yajña (sacrifice of self-study)
• sanātanāḥ lokāḥ (eternal worlds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms that svādhyāya (sacred self-study) can itself function as a yajña—an effective spiritual discipline leading to accomplishment; likewise, sustained tapas by sages is presented as a recognized cause for attaining enduring, ‘eternal’ spiritual realms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, in the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, supports an ethical-spiritual argument by citing observable precedents: many have succeeded through svādhyāya-yajña, and many ascetic sages have attained sanātana lokas through tapas.