Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अकूजनेन चेन्मोक्षो नावकूजेत्‌ कथंचन । अवश्यं कूजितव्ये वा शड्केरन्‌ वाप्पकूजनात्‌

Transliteration

akūjanena cenmokṣo nāvakūjet kathaṃcana | avaśyaṃ kūjitavye vā śaṅkeran vāppakūjanāt ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “If liberation could be gained by not crying out, then one should never cry out in any circumstance. But if crying out is in fact unavoidable, then one should not be anxious or doubtful about that cry.”

Word by Word

अकूजनेनby (means of) not cooing / by silence

चेत्if

मोक्षःliberation

नnot

अवकूजेत्should coo / should make a sound

कथंचनin any way; at all

अवश्यम्necessarily; certainly

कूजितव्येwhen cooing is to be done / in the case of having to make a sound

वाor

शङ्केरन्they might suspect; they should suspect

वाor

अपकूजनात्from (the act of) not cooing / from silence

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

Bhīṣma frames a practical ethical point: if mere silence were sufficient for liberation, one should always remain silent; but since expression can be inevitable in life, one should not fall into scruples or anxiety about an unavoidable utterance. The emphasis is on realistic discipline rather than rigid, fear-driven restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he uses a compact, proverbial argument about silence versus unavoidable speech/crying out to guide the king toward balanced, non-anxious ethical practice.