Shloka 2936

अन्योन्यं नाभिभाषन्ते तत्पराभवलक्षणम्‌ । अकमस्मात्‌ पैदा हुए क्रोध और मोहसे अथवा स्वाभाविक लोभसे भी जब संघके लोग आपसमें बातचीत करना बंद कर दें, तब यह उनकी पराजयका लक्षण है

anyonyaṃ nābhibhāṣante tat-parābhava-lakṣaṇam |

Bhishma said: When members of a group stop speaking with one another, it is a clear sign of their impending defeat. Whether this silence arises suddenly from anger and delusion, or even from an ingrained, habitual greed, the breakdown of mutual communication marks the collapse of unity and the loss of collective strength.

अन्योन्यम्mutually, to one another
अन्योन्यम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअन्योन्य
FormAvyaya (adverbial accusative usage)
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
FormNegation particle
अभिभाषन्तेthey speak (to), they converse
अभिभाषन्ते:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootअभि√भाष्
FormLat (present), 3rd person, plural, Atmanepada
तत्that
तत्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, nominative, singular
पराभवdefeat, downfall
पराभव:
TypeNoun
Rootपराभव
FormMasculine, genitive, singular (as prior member in compound)
लक्षणम्sign, mark, symptom
लक्षणम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootलक्षण
FormNeuter, nominative, singular

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
S
saṅgha (group/assembly)

Educational Q&A

A community’s strength depends on mutual communication; when people stop speaking due to anger, delusion, or greed, unity fractures and defeat becomes likely.

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and social order, Bhishma lists practical indicators of a polity or organization’s decline, identifying the cessation of internal dialogue as a decisive omen of downfall.