Shloka 82

Devanagari script

प्रत्युपकुर्वन्‌ बह्मपि न भाति पूर्वोपकारिणा तुल्य: । एक: करोति हि कृते निष्कारणमेव कुरुतेडन्य:,“कोई किसीके उपकारका कितना ही अधिक बदला क्‍यों न चुका दे; वह प्रथम उपकार करनेवालेके समान नहीं शोभा पाता है; क्योंकि एक तो किसीके उपकार करनेपर बदलेमें उसका उपकार करता है; परंतु दूसरेने बिना किसी कारणके ही उसकी भलाई की है!

Transliteration

pratyupakurvan bahum api na bhāti pūrvopakāriṇā tulyāḥ | ekaḥ karoti hi kṛte niṣkāraṇam eva karoty anyaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Even if someone repays a kindness many times over, he still does not shine as equal to the one who first bestowed the favor. For one person acts only in return for what has been done to him, whereas the other did good without any prompting cause—freely and unasked.

Word by Word

प्रत्युपकुर्वन्one who returns a favor

बहुम्much, greatly

अपिeven, although

नnot

भातिshines / appears (as)

पूर्वोपकारिणाwith/compared to the first benefactor

तुल्यःequal

एकःone (person)

करोतिdoes

हिindeed, for

कृतेwhen (something) has been done; in the done (favor)

निष्कारणम्without cause, unprompted

एवjust, only

कुरुतेdoes (for another), performs

अन्यःanother (person)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Repaying a favor is good, but the moral excellence of the first benefactor is higher, because the original act of help is done freely and without compulsion, whereas repayment is motivated by an existing obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira about the hierarchy of virtues: spontaneous, causeless beneficence is portrayed as more admirable than even generous repayment.