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Shloka 6

अहिंसा-आत्मौपम्य-उपदेशः | Instruction on Ahiṃsā and Self-Comparison Ethics

बाहुभ्यां तु विशाखासु हस्तौ हस्तेन निर्दिशेत्‌ । पुनर्वस्वड्गुली राजन्नाश्लेषासु नखास्तथा,राजन! दोनों भुजाओंमें विशाखाका, हाथोंमें हस्तका, अंगुलियोंमें पुनर्वसुका तथा नखोंमें आश्लेषाकी स्थापना करे

bāhubhyāṃ tu viśākhāsu hastau hastena nirdiśet | punarvasvaṅgulī rājann āśleṣāsu nakhās tathā ||

Bhishma sprach: „O König, man ordne Viśākhā den beiden Armen zu; Hasta den Händen; Punarvasu den Fingern; und ebenso Āśleṣā den Nägeln.“

बाहुभ्याम्in/with the two arms
बाहुभ्याम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootबाहु
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Dual
तुbut/and (emphatic)
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
विशाखासुin (the nakshatra) Viśākhā-s
विशाखासु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootविशाखा
FormFeminine, Locative, Plural
हस्तौthe two hands
हस्तौ:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootहस्त
FormMasculine, Accusative, Dual
हस्तेनby/with (the nakshatra) Hasta
हस्तेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootहस्त
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
निर्दिशेत्should assign/indicate
निर्दिशेत्:
TypeVerb
Rootनि + दिश्
FormOptative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
पुनर्वसुin (the nakshatra) Punarvasu
पुनर्वसु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपुनर्वसु
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
अङ्गुलीfingers
अङ्गुली:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootअङ्गुली
FormFeminine, Accusative, Plural
राजन्O king
राजन्:
TypeNoun
Rootराजन्
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
आश्लेषासुin (the nakshatra) Āśleṣā-s
आश्लेषासु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootआश्लेषा
FormFeminine, Locative, Plural
नखाःnails
नखाः:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootनख
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
तथाlikewise/so too
तथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
K
King (Yudhishthira, implied by address 'rājan')
V
Viśākhā (nakṣatra)
H
Hasta (nakṣatra)
P
Punarvasu (nakṣatra)
Ā
Āśleṣā (nakṣatra)
A
arms
H
hands
F
fingers
N
nails

Educational Q&A

The verse teaches a symbolic discipline: mapping specific nakṣatras onto body parts to express alignment of the individual body with cosmic order, implying that ordered practice and mindful regulation support dharma.

Bhishma, instructing the king in Anuśāsana Parva, continues a prescriptive section describing ritual/meditative correspondences—here assigning Viśākhā to the arms, Hasta to the hands, Punarvasu to the fingers, and Āśleṣā to the nails.