Shloka 35

कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve

Devanagari script

युधिछ्िर उवाच अस्ति चेदिह मर्यादा यामन्यो नाभिलड्घयेत्‌ । पृच्छामि त्वां सतां श्रेष्ठ तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: asti ced iha maryādā yām anyo nābhilaṅghayet | pṛcchāmi tvāṃ satāṃ śreṣṭha tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “If in this world there exists a binding moral boundary—one that no other person may rightly transgress—then I ask you about it. O best among the virtuous, O Grandsire, tell me that rule.”

Word by Word

• {'asti': 'there is

• exists', 'cet': 'if', 'iha': 'here

• in this world', 'maryādā': 'boundary

• moral restraint', 'yām': 'which (feminine accusative singular, referring to maryādā)', 'anyo': 'another person

• anyone else', 'na': 'not', 'abhilaṅghayet': 'should overstep

• violate', 'pṛcchāmi': 'I ask

• I inquire', 'tvām': 'you (accusative singular)', 'satām': 'of the good/virtuous people', 'śreṣṭha': 'best

• foremost', 'tat': 'that (rule/point)', 'me': 'to me

• for me', 'brūhi': 'tell (imperative)', 'pitāmaha': 'Grandsire (address to Bhīṣma)'}

Speaker

युधिछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames dharma as a ‘maryādā’—a normative boundary that restrains conduct. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a principle so fundamental that it should not be violated, emphasizing ethical limits as the foundation of righteous life and governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira respectfully questions the Grandsire Bhīṣma, asking him to define an inviolable moral rule (maryādā) that should guide human behavior.