Shloka 16

नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct

Nṛśaṃsa

Devanagari script

उक्ताक्ष ते राजधर्मा आपद्धर्माश्न भारत । विस्तरेण महाराज कि भूय: श्रोतुमिच्छसि,भरतनन्दन! महाराज! मैंने तुमसे राजधर्म और आपद्धर्मका विस्तारपूर्वक वर्णन किया है, अब और क्या सुनना चाहते हो

Transliteration

uktākṣa te rājadharmā āpaddharmāś ca bhārata | vistareṇa mahārāja kiṃ bhūyaḥ śrotum icchasi bharatanandana ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “O Bharata, O great king, I have explained to you in detail the duties of kingship and the duties to be followed in times of calamity. Now, O joy of the Bharatas, what more do you wish to hear?”

Word by Word

उक्ताःtold, spoken

चand

तेto you

राजधर्माःduties of kings (royal duties)

आपद्धर्माःduties in times of distress (emergency duties)

चand

भारतO Bharata

विस्तरेणin detail, with elaboration

महाराजO great king

किम्what

भूयःfurther, again, more

श्रोतुम्to hear

इच्छसिyou wish/desire

भरतनन्दनO descendant/joy of Bharata

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as Bhārata, Mahārāja, Bharatanandana)

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?

Bhishma signals completion of his detailed exposition on rājadharma (normative duties of rulership) and āpaddharma (emergency ethics), inviting the king to ask what further instruction is needed—highlighting that dharma includes both stable norms and carefully bounded exceptions for crises.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva teaching dialogue, Bhishma—lying on his bed of arrows—has been instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and conduct. Here he pauses and asks what else Yudhiṣṭhira wishes to hear after the extended discussion of royal and emergency duties.