Shloka 2

Devanagari script

श्रुतास्त्वत्त: कथाश्रैव धर्मयुक्ता महामते । संदेहो5स्ति तु कश्चिन्मे तद्‌ भवान्‌ वक्तुमहति,महामते! मैंने आपके मुखसे अनेक धर्मयुक्त कथाएँ सुनी हैं; फिर भी मेरे मनमें एक संदेह रह गया है, उसे आप मुझे बतानेकी कृपा करें भीष्म उवाच शृणुष्वावहितो राजन्‌ जापकानां गति विभो । यथा गच्छन्ति निरयाननेकान्‌ पुरुषर्षभ

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

śrutās tvattaḥ kathāś caiva dharmayuktā mahāmate |

saṃdeho 'sti tu kaścin me tad bhavān vaktum arhati mahāmate ||

bhīṣma uvāca |

śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājan jāpākānāṃ gatiṃ vibho |

yathā gacchanti nirayān anekān puruṣarṣabha ||

Translation

قال يودهيشثيرا: «يا عظيم الرأي، لقد سمعتُ منك حكايات كثيرة قائمة على الدارما؛ غير أن شكًّا ما يزال في نفسي. فتفضّل ببيانه لي، أيها الحكيم.» قال بهيشما: «أصغِ بانتباه، أيها الملك، أيها السيد. سأقصّ عليك مسارَ ومصيرَ ممارسي الجَپا—كيف قد يسقطون في جحيمٍ بعد جحيم، يا خيرَ الرجال.»

Word by Word

• {'śrutāḥ': 'heard

• listened to', 'tvattaḥ': 'from you', 'kathāḥ': 'accounts, narratives, teachings', 'dharmayuktāḥ': 'connected with dharma

• ethically grounded', 'mahāmate': 'O great-minded/wise one (vocative)', 'saṃdehaḥ': 'doubt, uncertainty', 'asti': 'is, exists', 'kaścit': 'some, a certain', 'me': 'to me

• in my (mind)', 'tad': 'that (matter)', 'bhavān': 'you (honorific)', 'vaktum arhati': 'ought to speak

• is requested/fit to explain', 'śṛṇuṣva': 'listen (imperative)', 'āvahitaḥ': 'attentive, concentrated', 'rājan': 'O king', 'jāpaka': 'one who performs japa (repetition of sacred formulae)', 'gati': 'path, course, destiny', 'vibho': 'O mighty one

• O lord', 'yathā': 'how

• in what manner', 'gacchanti': 'they go

• they proceed', 'nirayān': 'hells

• infernal realms', 'anekān': 'many, various', 'puruṣarṣabha': 'O bull among men

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Bhīṣma
• jāpaka (practitioner of japa)
• niraya (hells)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even practices considered sacred—such as japa—must be aligned with dharma in intention and conduct; otherwise, they can lead to harmful outcomes and moral downfall, symbolized here by ‘various hells’ (niraya).

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully asks Bhīṣma to resolve a remaining doubt after hearing many dharma-based teachings. Bhīṣma begins his reply by urging attentive listening and introducing the topic: the destiny of japa-practitioners and how some may end up in different hells.