Shloka 38

कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve

Devanagari script

प्रीत्या यशो भवेन्मुख्यमप्रीत्या परमं भयम्‌ । प्रीत्या हमृतवद्‌ विप्रा: क्रुद्धाश्नैव विषं यथा

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | prītyā yaśo bhaven mukhyam aprītyā paramaṃ bhayam | prītyā amṛtavad viprāḥ kruddhāś caiva viṣaṃ yathā ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “From the goodwill of Brahmins, the highest fame and honor spread forth; from their displeasure arises the gravest fear. When pleased, Brahmins are life-giving like nectar; when angered, they become dreadful like poison.”

Word by Word

• {'prītyā': 'by affection, goodwill, satisfaction', 'yaśaḥ': 'fame, renown, honorable reputation', 'bhavet': 'would be, comes to be', 'mukhyam': 'chief, foremost, highest', 'aprītyā': 'by displeasure, lack of goodwill', 'paramam': 'supreme, greatest', 'bhayam': 'fear, danger, peril', 'amṛtavat': 'like nectar

• life-giving, immortalizing', 'viprāḥ': 'Brahmins

• learned priests/sages', 'kruddhāḥ': 'angry, enraged', 'ca eva': 'and indeed', 'viṣam': 'poison', 'yathā': 'as, like'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Brahmins (viprāḥ)
• amṛta (nectar)
• viṣa (poison)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that a ruler or householder should maintain respectful, righteous relations with Brahmins and the learned: their goodwill brings honor and stability, while their displeasure brings serious danger. The verse frames Brahmins as beneficent when honored (like nectar) and harmful when wronged (like poison), emphasizing ethical restraint and proper conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and governance after the war. Here he highlights the practical and moral consequences of pleasing or offending Brahmins, advising that their satisfaction supports a king’s reputation and safety, whereas their anger can lead to fear and calamity.