Shloka 17

Devanagari script

अत्र गाथा यमोदगीता: कीर्तयन्ति पुराविद: । धर्मज्ञा धर्मशास्त्रेषु निबद्धा धर्मसेतुषु,इस विषयमें प्राचीन बातोंको जाननेवाले तथा धर्मशास्त्रों और धर्ममर्यादाओंमें स्थित रहनेवाले धर्मज्ञ पुरुष यमकी गायी हुई गाथाका इस प्रकार वर्णन करते हैं--

Transliteration

atra gāthā yamodgītāḥ kīrtayanti purāvidaḥ | dharmajñā dharmaśāstreṣu nibaddhā dharmasetuṣu ||

Translation

Here, the learned men who know the ancient traditions—those who are discerning in dharma and firmly grounded in the treatises on righteousness and in the established boundaries of moral order—recite a set of verses said to have been sung by Yama.

Word by Word

अत्रhere, in this context

गाथाa verse, song (gāthā)

यम-उद्गीताsung/uttered by Yama

कीर्तयन्तिthey recount, they proclaim

पुरा-विदःknowers of ancient lore/tradition

धर्म-ज्ञाःknowers of dharma

धर्म-शास्त्रेषुin the dharma-texts

निबद्धाःfixed/established, grounded

धर्म-सेतुषुin the boundaries/bridges of dharma (moral restraints)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yama

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ethical instruction should be grounded in recognized authorities: ancient tradition (purā), dharma-texts (dharmaśāstra), and the established limits that sustain social and moral order (dharmasetu). By citing Yama, the verse frames the coming teaching as a reliable standard of dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, while instructing on dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva, introduces a traditional set of didactic stanzas attributed to Yama. He notes that learned authorities recite these verses, preparing the listener for an authoritative moral exposition.