Shloka 2

Daśa-Karmapatha: Restraints of Body, Speech, and Mind (दश कर्मपथ)

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच कायेन त्रिविधं कर्म वाचा चापि चतुर्विधम्‌ | मनसा त्रिविधं चैव दशकर्मपथांस्त्यजेत्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | kāyena trividhaṃ karma vācā cāpi caturvidham | manasā trividhaṃ caiva daśa-karmapathāṃs tyajet ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “O King, one should renounce the ten courses of action—three kinds of deeds done by the body, four kinds performed through speech, and three kinds arising in the mind. Thus restrained, a person aligns conduct with dharma by abandoning these harmful pathways.”

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), 3rd, Singular

• कायेन: by the body
• कायेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• त्रिविधम्: threefold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिविध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कर्म: action/deed
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वाचा: by speech
• वाचा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच्
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• चतुर्विधम्: fourfold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्विध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मनसा: by the mind
• मनसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• त्रिविधम्: threefold
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिविध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

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

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• दश: ten
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन्
• Form: Indeclinable (numeral used adjectivally), —, —

• कर्मपथान्: paths/ways of action (courses of conduct)
• कर्मपथान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मपथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-ling), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King (Yudhishthira, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches ethical restraint through the doctrine of the ten karmapathas: one should abandon harmful actions at three levels—body (3), speech (4), and mind (3)—so that conduct becomes aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs the king on dharma and proper conduct. Here he begins a concise ethical framework, urging the renunciation of ten wrongful courses of action spanning bodily, verbal, and mental behavior.