Shloka 23

Sandhi–Vigraha in Āpada: The Mouse and the Cat (सन्धिविग्रहापदि—मूषकमार्जारसंवादः)

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच ते सर्वमेवानुचक्रु: कायव्यस्यानुशासनम्‌ । वृद्धि च लेभिरे सर्वे पापेभ्यश्षाप्युपारमन्‌,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्‌! यह सुनकर उन दस्युओंने कायव्यकी सारी आज्ञा मान ली और सदा उसका अनुसरण किया। इससे उन सभीकी उन्नति हुई और वे पाप-कर्मोसे हट गये

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca te sarvam evānucakruḥ kāyavyasyānuśāsanam | vṛddhiṃ ca lebhire sarve pāpebhyaś cāpy uparaman ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „O König, als jene Dasyus dies vernommen hatten, nahmen sie alle Weisungen Kāyavyas an und folgten ihnen treu. Dadurch gediehen sie alle und ließen auch von sündhaften Taten ab.“

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

तेthey/those (people)

सर्वम्all, entire

एवindeed, just

अनुचक्रुःfollowed, acted in accordance with

कायव्यस्यof Kayavya (proper name)

अनुशासनम्instruction, command, discipline

वृद्धिम्growth, prosperity

चand

लेभिरेobtained, attained

सर्वेall (of them)

पापेभ्यःfrom sins/evil deeds

चand

अपिalso, even

उपारमन्desisted, ceased

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Rājan (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

Kāyavya

Dasyu (dasyavaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Right guidance (anuśāsana) sincerely followed leads to tangible uplift (vṛddhi) and moral purification—people can abandon pāpa when they accept discipline and consistently practice it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reports to the king that the dāsyus, after hearing Kāyavya, adopted his instructions, continued to follow them, gained prosperity, and stopped engaging in sinful actions.