Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कार्येष्वधिकृता: सम्यगकुर्वन्तो नृपानुगा: । आत्मानं पुरत: कृत्वा यान्त्यध: सहपार्थिवा:,नरश्रेष्ठ! धर्म ही जिसकी जड़ है, उस धर्मासन अथवा न्यायासनपर बैठकर जो राजा, मन्त्री अथवा राजकुमार धर्म-पूर्वक प्रजाकी रक्षा नहीं करता तथा राजाका अनुसरण करनेवाले राज्यके दूसरे अधिकारी भी यदि अपनेको सामने रखकर प्रजाके साथ उचित बर्ताव नहीं करते हैं तो वे राजाके साथ ही स्वयं भी नरकमें गिर जाते हैं

Transliteration

kāryeṣv adhikṛtāḥ samyag akurvanto nṛpānugāḥ | ātmānaṃ purataḥ kṛtvā yānty adhaḥ saha pārthivāḥ, naraśreṣṭha |

Translation

قال بهيشما: «يا خير الناس، إن المعيَّنين للواجبات العامة—من حاشية الملك وموظفيه—إذا لم يؤدّوا أعمالهم على وجهها، وإذا قدّموا مصالحهم الخاصة ولم يعاملوا الرعية بالعدل، فإنهم يهبطون (إلى الجحيم) مع الملك.»

Word by Word

कार्येषुin duties/affairs

अधिकृताःappointed/authorized

सम्यक्properly, rightly

अकुर्वन्तःnot doing (performing)

नृपानुगाःfollowers of the king (royal attendants/officials)

आत्मानम्oneself

पुरतःin front, before

कृत्वाhaving made/placing

यान्तिthey go

अधःdownwards, to a lower state

सहtogether with

पार्थिवाःkings, rulers

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Yudhishthira

king (pārthiva/nṛpa)

royal officers/attendants (nṛpānugāḥ)

hell/downfall (adhaḥ)

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?

Public authority is a moral trust: kings and their officers must protect and treat subjects justly according to dharma; self-serving governance leads to shared downfall.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on rajadharma, warning that rulers and appointed officials who neglect righteous administration and prioritize themselves over the people incur ruin together.