Shloka 15

Adhyāya 262: Śabda-brahman, Para-brahman, and the Ethics of Tyāga

Kapila–Syūmaraśmi Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

स सम पापकृतां लोकान्‌ गच्छेदशुभकर्मणा । प्रमाणमप्रमाणेन यः कुर्यादशुभं नर:

Transliteration

sa sama-pāpakṛtāṁ lokān gacched aśubha-karmaṇā | pramāṇam apramāṇena yaḥ kuryād aśubhaṁ naraḥ ||

Translation

以不祥之业行事者，将往与诸罪人同等之界。凡以非真标准为权威，凭虚妄尺度而作恶以自辩者，必堕于恶。

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समम्: equally
• समम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पापकृताम्: of evil-doers
• पापकृताम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापकृत्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• लोकान्: worlds (realms)
• लोकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• गच्छेत्: would go
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अशुभकर्मणा: by an evil act
• अशुभकर्मणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुभकर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रमाणम्: a valid standard / authority
• प्रमाणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अप्रमाणेन: by an invalid (means/standard)
• अप्रमाणेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्रमाण
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुर्यात्: would do / should do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अशुभम्: evil (a wrong act)
• अशुभम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुभ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

चुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• चुलाधार (Cūlādhāra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Wrongdoing cannot be legitimized by appealing to false standards; acting on invalid authority (apramāṇa) leads to sinful action and the same adverse karmic destinations as other evil-doers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Cūlādhāra continues his ethical instruction, warning that a person who performs aśubha-karma—especially by misusing or fabricating ‘authority’ or ‘proof’—incurs the karmic fate associated with sinners.