Shloka 15

Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)

Devanagari script

इदं तु पुरुषव्याप्र पुरस्ताच्छुतवानहम्‌

Transliteration

idaṃ tu puruṣavyāpr(a) purastāc chrutavān aham

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Doch dies, o Mann ernsthaften Bemühens, hatte ich schon früher gehört (aus maßgeblicher Überlieferung).“

Word by Word

• इदम्: this (statement/teaching)
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• पुरुषव्याघ्र: O tiger among men
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषव्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• पुरस्तात्: formerly/earlier
• पुरस्तात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस्तात्

• श्रुतवान्: heard (have heard)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुतवत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन, भूतकालार्थ (परिप्रयोगः; क्तवतु-प्रत्यय), प्रथम (वाक्ये अहम्-समन्वयात्)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे पुं), प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma grounds his instruction in prior authoritative hearing—implying that dharma is to be learned through reliable tradition and transmitted wisdom, not merely personal opinion.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the course of advising his listener, Bhīṣma introduces a point by stating that he had already heard this teaching earlier, signaling that what follows is inherited instruction rather than a new invention.