Shloka 9

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 103 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Gāndhārī Vivāha: Proposal, Consent, and the Vow

Devanagari script

मिथ्याप्रतिज्ञो लोकेषु कि वदिष्यति भारत | ब्रह्मचारीति भीष्मो हि वृथैव प्रथितो भुवि

Transliteration

mithyāpratijño lokeṣu kiṁ vadiṣyati bhārata | brahmacārīti bhīṣmo hi vṛthaiva prathito bhuvi

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Bhārata, was vermag ein Mann zu seiner Verteidigung zu sagen, der in den Welten als Gelübdebrecher bekannt ist? Denn dann würde Bhīṣmas Ruhm auf Erden als lebenslanger Brahmacārī leer und bedeutungslos werden.“

Word by Word

मिथ्याfalsely, untruly

प्रतिज्ञःone whose vow/promise is (so), a promiser (here: false to his vow)

लोकेषुin the worlds; among people

किम्what

वदिष्यतिwill say/speak

भारतO Bhārata

ब्रह्मचारीa celibate student; one observing brahmacarya

इतिthus, as (quoted)

भीष्मःBhīṣma

हिindeed, for

वृथाin vain, falsely

एवonly, indeed

प्रथितःrenowned, famed

भुविon earth

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhārata (Janamejaya)

Bhīṣma (Devavrata)

Earth (bhuvi)

Worlds/people (lokeṣu)

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?

A vow (pratijñā) is an ethical anchor: if one becomes known as a breaker of promises, public trust collapses and even genuine virtues (like Bhīṣma’s famed brahmacarya) lose their moral force and meaning.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana underscores the stakes of fidelity to a pledge: he argues that if a pledge is violated, the person will have no credible defense before society, and Bhīṣma’s celebrated identity as a lifelong celibate would be rendered pointless.