Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 28
Devanagari script
भीष्म उवाच रजसा तमसा चैव समवस्तीर्णचेतस: । नरकं प्रतिपद्यन्ते धर्मविद्वेषिणो जना:
Transliteration
bhīṣma uvāca rajasā tamasā caiva samavastīrṇacetasaḥ | narakaṁ pratipadyante dharmavidveṣiṇo janāḥ ||
Translation
Bhishma said: Those people whose minds are wholly clouded by passion (rajas) and darkness (tamas), and who therefore hate and oppose dharma, inevitably fall into hell.
Word by Word
भीष्मःBhishma
भीष्मः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootभीष्म
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
उवाचsaid
उवाच:
TypeVerb
Rootवच्
FormPerfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
रजसाby rajas (passion)
रजसा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootरजस्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
तमसाby tamas (darkness)
तमसा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootतमस्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
एवindeed
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
समवस्तीर्णचेतसःwhose minds are completely covered/overwhelmed
समवस्तीर्णचेतसः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसमवस्तीर्णचेतस्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
नरकम्hell
नरकम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootनरक
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
प्रतिपद्यन्तेgo to / attain
प्रतिपद्यन्ते:
TypeVerb
Rootप्रति√पद्
FormPresent (Laṭ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada
धर्मविद्वेषिणःhaters of dharma
धर्मविद्वेषिणः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootधर्मविद्वेषिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
जनाःpeople
जनाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजन
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaN
narakaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
When the mind is dominated by rajas and tamas, it becomes morally obscured and tends toward hostility to dharma; such dharma-hatred leads to severe negative consequences, described here as falling into naraka.
Bhishma continues his instruction on righteous conduct and its opposites, warning that people who, due to inner impurity and delusion, become enemies of dharma meet a ruinous fate.