Shloka 15

Adhyāya 69: Strategic duels under Bhīṣma’s command

Virāṭa–Bhīṣma; Arjuna–Aśvatthāmā; Bhīma–Duryodhana; Abhimanyu–Lakṣmaṇa

Devanagari script

एतत्‌ परमकं गुहमेतत्‌ परमकं पदम्‌ | एतत्‌ परमकं ब्रह्म एतत्‌ परमकं यश:

Transliteration

etat paramakaṁ guhyam etat paramakaṁ padam | etat paramakaṁ brahma etat paramakaṁ yaśaḥ |

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “This is the highest secret; this is the highest state to be attained. This is the supreme Brahman itself, and this is the highest glory.”

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• परमकं: supreme, highest
• परमकं: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• गुह्यम्: secret, hidden (truth)
• गुह्यम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• परमकं: supreme, highest
• परमकं: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पदम्: state, abode, goal
• पदम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• परमकं: supreme, highest
• परमकं: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• परमकं: supreme, highest
• परमकं: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• यशः: glory, fame
• यशः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma emphasizes the supreme value of the teaching he is presenting: it is an esoteric truth (guhya), the highest attainable goal (padam), identical with the supreme reality (Brahman), and a source of the highest, enduring glory (yaśas).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma Parva, amid the war setting, Bhīṣma speaks in an instructive mode, underscoring that what he is about to convey (or has just conveyed) is not ordinary counsel but a highest spiritual doctrine—worthy of reverence and careful reception.