Shanti Parva Adhyaya 159 Shloka 10 - Mahabharata | English | Vedapath

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Shloka 10

Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications

Devanagari script

रसवेगश्न दुर्वार्य: श्रोत्रवेगश्न॒ दुःसह: । कुत्सा विकत्था मात्सर्य पापं दुष्करकारिता

Transliteration

rasavegaś ca durvāryaḥ śrotravegaś ca duḥsahaḥ | kutsā vikatthā mātsaryaṁ pāpaṁ duṣkarakāritā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “The surge of taste is hard to restrain, and the surge of what is heard is hard to endure. Contempt, boastful self-display, envy, sinfulness, and the tendency to drive one toward difficult (harmful) deeds—these are among the inner forces that disturb a person and lead him away from righteous conduct.”

Word by Word

रसवेगज्ञःknower of the impulse of taste (i.e., one who understands/controls taste-urge)

दुर्वार्यःhard to restrain

श्रोत्रवेगज्ञःknower of the impulse of hearing (i.e., one who understands/controls the ear-urge)

दुःसहःhard to endure

कुत्साcensure, contempt

विकत्थाboasting, bragging

मात्सर्यम्envy, jealousy

पापम्sin, evil

दुष्करकारिताcausing difficult acts; instigation of hard-to-do deeds

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma highlights how unchecked sensory impulses—especially craving for taste and being swayed by what one hears—combine with contempt, boasting, envy, and sinfulness to push a person into harmful actions; therefore restraint and ethical vigilance are essential for dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living after the war, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by listing inner impulses and vices that obstruct moral steadiness and lead to wrongdoing.