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Shloka 4

संशय: सुगमस्तत्र दुर्गमस्तस्य निर्णय: । दृष्ट श्रुतमनन्तं हि यत्र संशयदर्शनम्‌

saṁśayaḥ sugamas tatra durgamas tasya nirṇayaḥ | dṛṣṭa-śrutam anantaṁ hi yatra saṁśaya-darśanam ||

Bhīṣma sprach: „In Fragen des Dharma ist es leicht, Zweifel zu erheben, doch zu einer festen Entscheidung zu gelangen ist überaus schwer. Denn sowohl das unmittelbar Gesehene als auch das aus autoritativer Überlieferung Gehörte ist ohne Ende — und in beidem treten unweigerlich Anlässe zum Zweifel auf.“

संशयःdoubt
संशयः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसंशय
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सुगमःeasy (to arise/be made)
सुगमः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसुगम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तत्रthere/in that matter
तत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र
दुर्गमःhard/difficult
दुर्गमः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootदुर्गम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
तस्यof it/of that
तस्य:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular
निर्णयःdecision/ascertainment
निर्णयः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootनिर्णय
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
दृष्टseen (i.e., perception)
दृष्ट:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootदृश्
Formक्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative, Singular
श्रुतम्heard (i.e., scripture/tradition)
श्रुतम्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootश्रु
Formक्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative, Singular
अनन्तम्endless/without limit
अनन्तम्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअनन्त
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
हिindeed/for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
यत्रwhere/wherein
यत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयत्र
संशय-दर्शनम्appearance/occurrence of doubt
संशय-दर्शनम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसंशयदर्शन
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma

Educational Q&A

Doubts about dharma arise easily, but resolving them is hard because both perception (what is seen) and tradition/scripture (what is heard) are vast and can each generate uncertainty; therefore ethical judgment requires careful discernment rather than quick conclusions.

In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira, emphasizing the difficulty of settling moral questions when evidence from experience and from scriptural tradition is extensive and sometimes ambiguous.