Shloka 23

Devanagari script

त्वया हि कुर्वता शास्त्र प्रमाणमिह पार्थिव,प्रमाणमुपनीता वै स्थिताश्व न विचालिता: । 'पृथ्वीनाथ! तुमने यहाँ शास्त्रको प्रमाण मानकर आत्मा, धर्म, शास्त्र, वेद, पितृगण, ऋषिगण, गुरु, प्रजापति और ब्रह्माजी--इन सबका मान बढ़ाया है तथा जो लोग धर्ममें स्थित हैं उन्हें भी तुमने अपना आदर्श दिखाकर विचलित नहीं होने दिया है

Transliteration

tvayā hi kurvatā śāstra-pramāṇam iha pārthiva, pramāṇam upanītā vai sthitāśva na vicālitāḥ |

Translation

قال بهيشما: «أيها الملك، بسلوكك هنا—إذ جعلتَ الشاسترا (śāstra) معيارًا حقًّا—قد أيّدتَ ما هو مُعتبَرٌ ووطّدتَ أركانَه. لقد كرّمتَ أسس النظام القويم، ولم تُزِلْ أهلَ الثبات في الدارما (dharma) عن طريقهم أو تُوقِعْهم في التردّد.»

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tvayā', 'definition': 'by you (instrumental singular of ‘you’)'}, {'term': 'hi', 'definition': 'indeed, for'}, {'term': 'kurvatā', 'definition': 'by (you) acting/doing

• by your conduct (instrumental singular present participle)'}, {'term': 'śāstra-pramāṇam', 'definition': 'the śāstra as the standard/authority

• scriptural norm as valid proof'}, {'term': 'iha', 'definition': 'here, in this matter/context'}, {'term': 'pārthiva', 'definition': 'O king, ruler of the earth'}, {'term': 'pramāṇam', 'definition': 'authoritative measure, valid proof, standard'}, {'term': 'upanītāḥ', 'definition': 'brought forward/established/led to (a standard)

• made authoritative (past passive participle, plural)'}, {'term': 'vai', 'definition': 'indeed, certainly (emphatic particle)'}, {'term': 'sthitāḥ', 'definition': 'standing firm, established, steadfast'}, {'term': 'aśva', 'definition': 'horse

• in context likely part of a compound/reading indicating ‘steadfast’ (textual uncertainty in the given line)'}, {'term': 'na', 'definition': 'not'}, {'term': 'vicālitāḥ', 'definition': 'shaken, made to deviate, unsettled (past passive participle, plural)'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Pārthiva (the king addressed; contextually Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should ground decisions and personal conduct in śāstra (normative tradition) so that dharma remains the recognized standard and the righteous are not destabilized by the king’s example.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, instructing the king in Anuśāsana Parva, praises the king’s adherence to śāstric authority and notes that such conduct reinforces moral order and keeps dharma-minded people steady rather than confused or led astray.