Shloka 19

अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था

Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire

Devanagari script

यदि नाहं विनाश्यस्ते यद्येवं रमसे मया । मा मां योजय लोभेन वृथा त्वं वित्तकामुक

Transliteration

yadi nāhaṃ vināśyas te yad evaṃ ramase mayā | mā māṃ yojaya lobhena vṛthā tvaṃ vittakāmuka ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “If you do not intend my ruin—if you truly wish to dwell with me in this manner, content—then do not yoke me to greed in vain, O mind that hankers after wealth.”

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: common, nominative, singular

• विनाश्यः: to be destroyed / destructible
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनाश्य
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• ते: of you / your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: common, genitive, singular

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• रमसे: you delight / take pleasure
• Type: Verb
• Root: रम्
• Form: present, second, singular, ātmanepada, indicative

• मया: with me / by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: common, instrumental, singular

• मा: do not (prohibitive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: common, accusative, singular

• योजय: join, yoke, engage
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज्
• Form: imperative, second, singular, parasmaipada

• लोभेन: by/with greed
• लोभेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोभ
• Form: masculine, instrumental, singular

• वृथा: in vain, uselessly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: common, nominative, singular

• वित्तकामुकः: desirous of wealth
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वित्तकामुक
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• mind (addressed as ‘wealth-craving’)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches vigilance against lobha (greed): if the mind seeks genuine well-being and inner peace, it must not drag the person into fruitless craving for wealth, which leads to spiritual and ethical ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of the Shanti Parva, Bhishma speaks in a reflective, admonitory tone, addressing the mind directly as ‘wealth-craving,’ warning it not to bind him to greed if it truly wishes to remain in harmonious companionship.