Shloka 26

Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)

Devanagari script

अशृण्वाना: पुराणानां धर्माणां परमा गती: । उत्पथं प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते काममन्युसमीरिता:

Transliteration

aśṛṇvānāḥ purāṇānāṃ dharmāṇāṃ paramā gatīḥ | utpathaṃ pratipatsyante kāma-manyu-samīritāḥ ||

Translation

因陀罗说道：“为欲望与忿怒所驱，人们将背离古圣之教，不肯聆听《往世书》（Purāṇa）所宣示的、关于法（dharma）的至上归趣。被这些激情鼓荡，他们将走上邪路，偏离正行所结的最高果报。”

Word by Word

• अशृण्वानाः: not listening
• अशृण्वानाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशृण्वान (श्रु धातु, शृण्वत्-प्रत्यय; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुराणानाम्: of the ancient (teachings)
• पुराणानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: पुराण
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• धर्माणाम्: of dharmas / duties
• धर्माणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• परमा: supreme
• परमा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गतिः: goal / course / destiny
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उत्पथम्: wrong path
• उत्पथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्पथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रतिपत्स्यन्ते: they will proceed / take to
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति√पद्
• Form: Lṛṭ (Simple Future), Third, Plural, Ātmanepada

• कामम्: desire
• कामम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मन्युसमीरिताः: impelled by anger
• मन्युसमीरिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्यु-समीरित (सम्+ईर् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

इन्द्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Purāṇas
• Dharma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When desire (kāma) and anger (manyu) dominate, people stop listening to time-tested dharmic instruction and drift into unethical conduct; attentiveness to sacred tradition is presented as a safeguard against moral deviation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra is warning about a condition of societal decline: people, provoked by passion and wrath, will disregard Purāṇic/ancient dharma and choose the ‘utpatha’ (wrong road), thereby losing the highest benefit that comes from righteous living.