Shloka 4

अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच श्रद्धापूतो नरस्तात दुर्दान्तोी5पि न संशय: । पूतो भवति सर्वत्र किमुत त्वं महाद्युते,भीष्मजीने कहा--तात! मनुष्य जितेन्द्रिय न होनेपर भी केवल श्रद्धामात्रसे पवित्र हो जाता है--इसमें संशय नहीं है। महातेजस्वी नरेश! श्रद्धापूत मनुष्य सर्वत्र पवित्र होता है, फिर तुम-जैसे धर्मात्माके पवित्र होनेमें तो संदेह ही क्या है?

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca śraddhāpūto naras tāta durdānto 'pi na saṁśayaḥ | pūto bhavati sarvatra kim uta tvaṁ mahādyute ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Dear one, even a man who is hard to restrain is purified by faith (śraddhā) alone—of this there is no doubt. One purified by faith is pure everywhere; how much more, then, are you, O mighty one, whose disposition is aligned with dharma?”

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

श्रद्धा-पूतःpurified by faith

नरःa man

तातO dear one / O son

दुर्दान्तःuncontrolled, unrestrained

अपिeven

नnot

संशयःdoubt

पूतःpurified

भवतिbecomes

सर्वत्रeverywhere

किम्what (then?)

उतindeed / then

त्वम्you

महाद्युतेO great-splendored one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Śraddhā (faithful reverence) has a purifying power: even a person lacking self-control can become purified through sincere faith; therefore, a dharmic and noble person’s purity is even more certain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma addresses a ‘mighty’ listener (a king/hero in context) to reassure him: purity and worthiness are grounded in śraddhā, and the listener—being dharma-inclined—should have no doubt about his own purity.