Shloka 16

अध्याय २९४ — योगलक्षणम् तथा सांख्यपरिसंख्यानम्

Yoga Definition and Sāṃkhya Enumeration

Devanagari script

स्वल्पाप्यर्था: प्रशस्यन्ते धर्मस्यार्थे महाफला: । पराशरजी कहते हैं--राजन! ब्राह्मणके यहाँ प्रतिग्रहसे मिला हुआ

Transliteration

svalpāpy arthāḥ praśasyante dharmasyārthe mahāphalāḥ | tena sam te gaganagāḥ sapurāḥ pātitāḥ kṣitau | tridhāpy ekena bāṇena devāppāyita-tejasā ||

Translation

波罗舍罗说道：“即便是微薄的财富，只要依各自本分之法而得，亦值得称许；而若以此财用于达摩之事，便能结大果。正因这一原则，那些携城在空中游行的众生被击落坠地——三座城由一箭而下，此箭因诸神所增益的光辉而威力无穷。”

Word by Word

• स्वल्पा: small (in amount)
• स्वल्पा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वल्प
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अर्थाः: wealth/means
• अर्थाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रशस्यन्ते: are praised
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-शंस्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada, Active (Atmanepada usage)

• धर्मस्य: of dharma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अर्थे: in/for the purpose (use)
• अर्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• महाफलाः: having great fruit/result
• महाफलाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाफल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• dharma
• devas (gods)
• bāṇa (arrow)
• gagana (sky)
• pura (cities/fortresses)
• kṣiti (earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even modest resources, when obtained through one’s rightful duty and then used for dharma, become highly praiseworthy and yield great spiritual and ethical results.

What is happening in the narrative?

Parāśara states a moral principle about dharmic wealth and then illustrates overwhelming efficacy through a martial image: sky-moving beings with their cities are brought down, and the three cities are felled by a single arrow empowered by divine radiance.