Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणश्ष प्रणाशेन धर्मो व्यनशदी श्वर । ततः सम समतां याता मर्त्यस्त्रिभुवनेश्वर,“ईश्वर! तीनों लोकोंके स्वामी परमेश्वर! वैदिक ज्ञानका लोप होनेसे यज्ञ-धर्म नष्ट हो गया। इससे हम सब देवता मनुष्योंके समान हो गये हैं

Transliteration

brahmaṇaḥ praṇāśena dharmo vyanaśad īśvara | tataḥ sama-samatāṁ yātā martyais tribhuvaneśvara ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: „O Herr! Gebieter der drei Welten! Mit dem Untergang des Brahman (des heiligen vedischen Wissens) ging auch das Dharma zugrunde. Danach, o Souverän des dreifachen Kosmos, wurden wir (die Götter) auf die gleiche Stufe wie die Sterblichen herabgesetzt.“

Word by Word

ब्रह्मणःof the Veda / of sacred knowledge (brahman)

प्रणाशेनby (its) destruction/loss

धर्मःdharma / religious duty

व्यनशत्was destroyed / perished

ईश्वरO Lord

ततःthereupon / from that

समम्equal(ly)

समताम्equality / sameness

याताःhaving gone / having become

मर्त्यैःwith mortals / like mortals

त्रिभुवनेश्वरO Lord of the three worlds

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Ishvara (Lord)

Tribhuvaneshvara (Lord of the three worlds)

Brahman (Vedic knowledge)

Dharma

Mortals (humans)

Devas (implied: 'we')

Three worlds (tribhuvana)

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?

The verse links the stability of dharma to the preservation of sacred knowledge (brahman/Veda). When that knowledge is lost, yajña-based dharma collapses, and even divine beings lose their distinctive power and status—implying that ethical-cosmic order depends on right understanding and practice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma addresses the supreme Lord as the ruler of the three worlds, explaining a crisis: the disappearance of Vedic knowledge has led to the destruction of dharma, causing the gods (speaking collectively as 'we') to become like ordinary mortals.