Shloka 21
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
Devanagari script
नैव कन्या न युवतिर्नामन्त्रज्ञो न बालिश:
Transliteration
naiva kanyā na yuvatir nāmantrajño na bāliśaḥ
Translation
Bhīṣma said: “One should not (treat as fit for trust or counsel) a mere girl, nor a young woman, nor one who is unversed in mantras, nor a foolish person.”
Word by Word
नnot
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
एवindeed/just/only
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
कन्याa maiden/girl
कन्या:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकन्या
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
नnor/not
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
युवतिःa young woman
युवतिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootयुवति
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
नnor/not
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
अमन्त्रज्ञःone who does not know mantras/ritual formulas
अमन्त्रज्ञः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअमन्त्रज्ञ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
नnor/not
न:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन
बालिशःa fool/ignorant person
बालिशः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootबालिश
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses discernment in seeking guidance: counsel should be taken from those who are mature, knowledgeable, and wise, not from the inexperienced or the foolish.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and practical governance; here he lists categories of persons regarded (in that traditional context) as unsuitable for giving reliable counsel.