Shloka 18

Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa

Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows

Devanagari script

अध्यापक: परिक्‍क्लेशादक्षयं फलमश्लुते

Transliteration

adhyāpakaḥ parikleśād akṣayaṃ phalam aśnute

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “The teacher, through the very hardships and exertions of instruction, attains an imperishable reward—teaching itself becomes a source of enduring merit.”

Word by Word

• अध्यापकः: the teacher/instructor
• अध्यापकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्यापक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिक्लेशात्: from hardship/effort
• परिक्लेशात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिक्लेश
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अक्षयम्: imperishable, inexhaustible
• अक्षयम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अश्नुते: attains/obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• teacher (adhyāpaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Teaching is a dharmic act whose very effort and hardship yield an imperishable fruit; the teacher’s labor becomes lasting merit rather than a merely temporary gain.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he highlights the ethical value of the teacher’s role, stating that the instructor attains an inexhaustible reward through the toil involved in teaching.