Shloka 66

तीर्थवंशोपदेशः

Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters

Devanagari script

सूचका: सेतुभेत्तार: परवृत््युपजीवका: । अकृच्ञाश्च मित्राणां ते वै निरयगामिन:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | sūcakāḥ setubhettāraḥ paravṛttyupajīvakāḥ | akṛjñāś ca mitrāṇāṃ te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Those who act as informers and tale-bearers, those who break the protective boundaries of family, community, or dharma, those who live by exploiting another’s livelihood, and those who are ungrateful for the kindness shown by friends—such people, indeed, go to hell.

Word by Word

• सूचकाः: informers, tale-bearers
• सूचकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूचक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सेतुभेत्तारः: breakers of boundaries/bridges (destroyers of established limits)
• सेतुभेत्तारः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतुभेत्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• परवृत्त्युपजीवकाः: those who live by others' livelihood/occupation
• परवृत्त्युपजीवकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परवृत्त्युपजीवक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अकृतज्ञाः: ungrateful
• अकृतज्ञाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकृतज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• मित्राणाम्: of friends
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वै: indeed, certainly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• निरयगामिनः: hell-going, destined for hell
• निरयगामिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरयगामिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that betrayal through informing/tale-bearing, breaking dharmic and social boundaries, exploiting others’ livelihoods, and ingratitude toward friends are serious moral offenses that lead to grave karmic consequences (symbolized as going to niraya/hell).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he lists specific harmful character-types—informers, boundary-breakers, exploiters, and the ungrateful—and states their dire fate to warn against such behavior.