Shloka 4

प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence

Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue

Devanagari script

सोअब्रवीत्‌ पितरं पुत्र: स्वाध्यायकरणे रतम्‌ | मोक्षधर्मार्थकुशलो लोकतत्त्वविचक्षण:,वह मोक्ष, धर्म और अर्थमें कुशल तथा लोकतत्त्वका अच्छा ज्ञाता था। एक दिन उस पुत्रने अपने स्वाध्याय-परायण पितासे कहा यस्य वाड्मनसी स्यातां सम्यक्‌ प्रणिहिते सदा । तपस्त्यागश्न सत्यं च स वै सर्वमवाप्तुयात्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca |

so 'bravīt pitaraṃ putraḥ svādhyāya-karaṇe ratam |

mokṣa-dharmārtha-kuśalo loka-tattva-vicakṣaṇaḥ |

yasya vāg-manasī syātāṃ samyak praṇihite sadā |

tapas tyāgaś ca satyaṃ ca sa vai sarvam avāpnuyāt ||

Translation

Bhishma said: A son, skilled in the aims of life—liberation, dharma, and material well-being—and discerning in the true nature of the world, addressed his father who was devoted to the practice of Vedic study. He said: “One whose speech and mind are always rightly directed—who possesses austerity, renunciation, and truthfulness—such a person indeed attains everything.”

Word by Word

• {'bhīṣma uvāca': 'Bhishma said', "so 'bravīt": 'he said

• he spoke', 'pitaraṃ': 'to the father', 'putraḥ': 'the son', 'svādhyāya': 'self-study

• recitation/study of the Veda', 'svādhyāya-karaṇe ratam': 'engaged in the practice of svādhyāya

• devoted to study', 'mokṣa': 'liberation

• spiritual freedom', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• moral order', 'artha': 'material prosperity

• practical aims', 'kuśalaḥ': 'skilled

• proficient', 'loka-tattva': 'the reality/principle of the world

• how the world truly is', 'vicakṣaṇaḥ': 'discerning

• perceptive', 'yasya': 'of whom

• whose', 'vāk': 'speech', 'manas': 'mind', 'vāg-manasī': 'speech and mind (together)', 'samyak': 'properly

• rightly', 'praṇihite': 'directed

• set (upon what is right)', 'sadā': 'always', 'tapas': 'austerity

• disciplined effort', 'tyāgaḥ': 'renunciation

• relinquishment', 'satyaṃ': 'truth

• truthfulness', 'sarvam': 'everything

• all aims', 'avāpnuyāt': 'would attain

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• son (putra)
• father (pitṛ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that inner alignment—keeping speech and mind consistently and rightly directed—combined with austerity (tapas), renunciation (tyāga), and truthfulness (satya) leads to the fulfillment of all human aims, including liberation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma narrates a scene where a wise son, knowledgeable about moksha, dharma, and artha, speaks to his father who is devoted to svādhyāya (sacred study), offering a concise ethical-spiritual maxim about disciplined speech, disciplined mind, and key virtues.