Shloka 25

Devanagari script

च्युता देवमनुष्ये भ्यो यथा प्रेतास्तथैव ते । निर्यज्ञास्तपसा हीना मा सम तै: सह सड़म:,ऐसे लोग दूसरोंके लिये असहा हो उठते हैं। इनका अन्न न तो स्वयं भोजन करे और न इन्हें ही अपना अन्न दे; क्योंकि ये छल-कपटके द्वारा पतनके गर्तमें गिर चुके हैं और देवलोक तथा मनुष्यलोक दोनोंसे वंचित हो प्रेतोंके समान अवस्थाको पहुँच गये हैं। इतना ही नहीं, वे यज्ञ और तपस्यासे भी हीन हैं; अतः तुम कभी उनका संग न करो

Transliteration

cyutā devamanuṣyebhyo yathā pretās tathaiva te | niryajñās tapasā hīnā mā sama taiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „Aus der Welt der Götter wie aus der Welt der Menschen gefallen, sind sie wie umherirrende Geister. Ohne Opfer und ohne Askese — verbünde dich nicht mit ihnen.“

Word by Word

च्युताfallen, lapsed

देवमनुष्येभ्यःfrom gods and men

यथाas, just as

प्रेताःdeparted spirits, ghosts

तथाso, likewise

एवindeed, just

तेthey

निर्यज्ञाःwithout sacrifice, devoid of yajña

तपसाby/with austerity (tapas)

हीनाःdeprived, lacking

माdo not

असमunequal (to them), not on a par

तैःwith them

सहtogether with

सङ्गमःassociation, company

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

devas

manuṣyas

pretas

yajña

tapas

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?

One should avoid close association with people who have fallen from dharma—those lacking yajña (religious duty) and tapas (self-discipline). Such company undermines one’s own ethical and spiritual stability.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma counsels Yudhishthira about discerning companionship: those who live by deceit and irreligion are described as ‘preta-like’—socially and spiritually dislocated—and are not to be kept as companions.