Shloka 5

Devanagari script

नच्छन्दांसि वृजिनात्‌ तारयन्ति मायाविनं मायया वर्तमानम्‌ | नीडं शकुन्ता इव जातपक्षा- श्छन्दांस्येनं प्रजहत्यन्तकाले,जो कपटपूर्वक धर्मका आचरण करता है, उस मिथ्याचारीका वेद पापोंसे उद्धार नहीं करते। जैसे पंख निकल आनेपर पक्षी अपना घोंसला छोड़ देते हैं, उसी प्रकार अन्तकालमें वेद भी उसका परित्याग कर देते हैं

Transliteration

na cchandāṁsi vṛjināt tārayanti māyāvinaṁ māyayā vartamānam | nīḍaṁ śakuntā iva jātapakṣāś chandāṁsy enaṁ prajahaty antakāle ||

Translation

善达苏迦多说：“《吠陀》圣歌不能使那以欺诈为生的狡伪之人脱离罪恶。正如雏鸟羽翼既成便离巢而去，同样，在临终之时，《吠陀》也将舍弃那等伪善者。”

Word by Word

नnot

छन्दांसिthe Vedas / sacred hymns

वृजिनात्from sin, from evil

तारयन्तिthey ferry across / deliver

मायाविनम्a deceitful person, trickster

माययाby deception, by illusion

वर्तमानम्acting, behaving; existing (as)

नीडम्nest

शकुन्ताःbirds

इवlike, as

जातपक्षाःhaving grown wings

छन्दांसिthe Vedas / sacred hymns

एनम्him

प्रजहतिabandons, leaves

अन्तकालेat the final time, at death

Speaker

सनत्युजात उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanatsujāta

chandāṁsi (Vedic hymns / Vedas)

birds

nest

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Scriptural learning or recitation (chandāṁsi/Vedas) cannot protect a person who practices deceit; dharma requires inner integrity, not merely outward religious performance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sanatsujāta’s instruction (Sanatsujātīya) within the Udyoga Parva, he warns that hypocrisy nullifies the salvific power attributed to Vedic knowledge—at death, such knowledge ‘leaves’ the deceiver, like fledged birds leaving their nest.