Shloka 11

अविश्वास-निति: ब्रह्मदत्त–पूजनी-संवादः

Policy of Caution: The Brahmadatta–Pūjanī Dialogue

Devanagari script

यथा हाकस्माद्‌ भवति भूमौ पांसुर्विलोलित: । तथैवेह भवेद्‌ धर्म: सूक्ष्म: सूक्ष्मतरस्तथा,जिस प्रकार अकस्मात्‌ पृथ्वीकी धूलको लेकर सिलपर पीसा जाय तो वह और भी महीन ही होती है, उसी प्रकार विचार करनेसे धर्मका स्वरूप उत्तरोत्तर सूक्ष्म जान पड़ता है

Transliteration

yathā hākasmād bhavati bhūmau pāṁsur vilolitaḥ | tathaiveha bhaved dharmaḥ sūkṣmaḥ sūkṣmataras tathā ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Just as dust on the earth, when suddenly taken up and ground upon a stone, becomes finer and finer, so too in this world dharma, when examined and reflected upon, is understood to be subtle—indeed, ever more subtle.”

Word by Word

यथाjust as

हिindeed

अकस्मात्suddenly, unexpectedly

भवतिbecomes, happens

भूमौon the ground/earth

पांसुःdust

विलोलितःstirred up, agitated

तथाso, in the same way

एवindeed, just

इहhere, in this matter

भवेत्would be, becomes (on reflection)

धर्मःdharma, righteousness

सूक्ष्मःsubtle

सूक्ष्मतरःmore subtle

तथाand so, likewise

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

earth (bhūmi)

dust (pāṁsu)

stone/grinding surface (implied by śilā)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes