Shloka 11
अहो सिद्धार्थता तेषां येषां सन्तीह पाणय: । अतीव स्पृहये तेषां येषां सन््तीह पाणय:,“अहो! जिनके पास भगवानके दिये हुए हाथ हैं, उनको तो मैं कृतार्थ मानता हूँ। इस जगत्में जिनके पास एकसे अधिक हाथ हैं, उनके-जैसा सौभाग्य पानेकी इच्छा मुझे बारंबार होती है
aho siddhārthatā teṣāṁ yeṣāṁ santīha pāṇayaḥ | atīva spṛhaye teṣāṁ yeṣāṁ santīha pāṇayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Ah! Truly fulfilled are those who have hands in this world. I yearn intensely for the good fortune of those who have hands here.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights gratitude for the human body and its instruments of action: having ‘hands’ symbolizes the power to perform dharma—service, charity, protection, and disciplined effort. One should not take basic capacities for granted, but recognize them as a providential opportunity for righteous action.
In the reflective instruction of Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma speaks in a contemplative tone, emphasizing how even ordinary bodily faculties are a form of fortune. The verse reads like a lament or self-reproach that underscores the value of embodied agency in pursuing ethical and spiritual aims.