Shloka 15

Dvaipāyana–Kīṭa Saṃvāda: Karmic Memory, Fear of Death, and Embodied Pleasure

Devanagari script

भेरीमृदंगशब्दांश्व तन्त्रीशब्दांश्ष पुष्कलान्‌ | निषेविष्यन्ति वै मन्दा मांसभक्षा: कथं नरा:

Transliteration

bherīmṛdaṅgaśabdāṁś ca tantrīśabdāṁś ca puṣkalān | niṣevīṣyanti vai mandā māṁsabhakṣāḥ kathaṁ narāḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “How can men who are dull-witted and meat-eating truly take delight in the abundant sounds of kettledrums and mṛdaṅgas, and in the rich music of stringed instruments?”

Word by Word

• भेरी: kettledrums (bhērīs)
• भेरी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेरी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• मृदङ्गशब्दान्: sounds of mṛdaṅga-drums
• मृदङ्गशब्दान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृदङ्गशब्द
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तन्त्रीशब्दान्: sounds of stringed instruments
• तन्त्रीशब्दान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तन्त्रीशब्द
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पुष्कलान्: abundant, many
• पुष्कलान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्कल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• निषेविष्यन्ति: will resort to / will indulge in
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-सेव्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), Third, Plural

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• मन्दाः: dull, foolish (people)
• मन्दाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मांसभक्षाः: meat-eaters
• मांसभक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांसभक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कथम्: how
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• bherī (kettledrum)
• mṛdaṅga (drum)
• tantrī (stringed instrument)