Shloka 29

Devanagari script

केवलात्‌ पुनरादानात्‌ कर्मणो नोपपद्यते । परामर्शो विशेषाणामश्रुतस्येह दुर्मते:,जिसकी बुद्धि खोटी है तथा जिसे शास्त्रोंका बिल्कुल ज्ञान नहीं है, वह केवल मन्त्रीका कार्य हाथमें ले लेने मात्रसे सफल नहीं हो सकता। विशेष कार्योंके विषयमें उसका दिया हुआ परामर्श युक्तिसंगत नहीं होता है

Transliteration

kevalāt punarādānāt karmaṇo nopapadyate | parāmarśo viśeṣāṇām aśrutasyeha durmateḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma sprach: Bloß ein Amt zu übernehmen oder eine Aufgabe an sich zu ziehen, bringt für sich genommen keinen Erfolg. In dieser Welt kann ein Mensch mit verkehrtem Urteil, der die maßgeblichen Lehren nicht studiert hat, in Angelegenheiten, die besondere Unterscheidungskraft verlangen, keinen tragfähigen Rat geben.

Word by Word

केवलात्from mere/only (thing)

पुनःagain; moreover

आदानात्from taking up/undertaking

कर्मणःof an action/duty

नnot

उपपद्यतेis possible; is justified; succeeds

परामर्शःadvice; counsel

विशेषाणाम्of particulars/special matters

अश्रुतस्यof one who has not studied/heard (the śāstra)

इहhere; in this matter

दुर्मतेःof the ill-minded/one of bad intellect

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

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?

Authority or responsibility alone does not ensure right outcomes; sound governance requires trained understanding (śāstra-śravaṇa) and clear judgment, especially in specialized matters.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and dharma, Bhishma warns that an uneducated, ill-judging person cannot succeed merely by taking up ministerial work, and his advice on complex issues will be unreliable.