Shloka 3

Adhyāya 241: Guṇa-sṛṣṭi, Kṣetrajña-sākṣitva, and Śama through Ātma-jñāna (गुणसृष्टिः, क्षेत्रज्ञसाक्षित्वं, शमः)

Devanagari script

मैं इस विषयको सुनना चाहता हूँ, आप कृपापूर्वक मुझे यह बतावें। ये दोनों वचन एक दूसरेके विपरीत हैं, अतः प्रतिकूल परिणाम ही उत्पन्न कर सकते हैं ।।

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | ity uktaḥ pratyuvācedaṃ parāśarāsutaḥ sutam | karmavidyāmayāv etau vyākhyāsyāmi kṣarākṣarī ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: Als dies gesagt war, erwiderte Vyasa, der Sohn Parasharas, seinem eigenen Sohn: „Mein Kind, diese beiden Wege—der auf Handeln (karma) gegründete und der auf Erkenntnis (jñāna) gegründete—sind der Reihe nach vergänglich und unvergänglich. Nun will ich beginnen, sie zu erläutern.“

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• उक्तः: having been addressed / spoken to
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• प्रत्युवाच: replied
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पराशर-सुतः: the son of Parashara (Vyasa)
• पराशर-सुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराशर-सुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुतम्: to the son (Shuka)
• सुतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कर्म-विद्या-मयौ: consisting of action and knowledge
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्म-विद्या-मय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• एतौ: these two
• एतौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• व्याख्यास्यामि: I shall explain
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्याख्या + अस् (आ + √स्था/√अस् in causative usage is not applicable here; standard is √ख्या with vi-ā- prefix as denominative verb 'to explain')
• Form: Future, 1, Singular, Parasmaipada

• क्षर-अक्षरी: perishable and imperishable
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षर-अक्षरिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Vyasa (Parashara’s son)
• Shuka (Vyasa’s son, implied by 'sutam' and the Hindi context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces a key distinction: the action-oriented discipline (karma) operates within the perishable realm (kṣara), while the knowledge-oriented discipline (jñāna) leads toward the imperishable (akṣara). Apparent contradictions in teachings are resolved by recognizing their different aims and results.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reports that after a question is posed, Vyasa—identified as Parashara’s son—responds to his son (traditionally Shuka). Vyasa announces he will explain two seemingly opposed teachings by clarifying the two paths: karma-based and knowledge-based.