Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भैषज्यमेतद्‌ दुःखस्य यदेतन्नानुचिन्तयेत्‌ । चिन्त्यमानं हि चाभ्येति भूयश्चापि प्रवर्तते,दुःखको दूर करनेके लिये सबसे अच्छी दवा यही है कि उसका चिन्तन छोड़ दिया जाय; क्योंकि चिन्तन करनेसे वह सामने आता है और अधिकाधिक बढ़ता रहता है

Transliteration

bhaiṣajyam etad duḥkhasya yad etan nānucintayet | cintyamānaṃ hi cābhyeti bhūyaś cāpi pravartate ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “This is the remedy for sorrow: that one should not keep brooding over it. For when sorrow is dwelt upon, it comes right before one’s mind, and it grows and sets itself in motion all the more.”

Word by Word

भैषज्यम्remedy, medicine

एतत्this

दुःखस्यof sorrow

यत्that which

एतत्this

नnot

अनुचिन्तयेत्should not think over / should not brood on

चिन्त्यमानम्being thought of (brooded upon)

हिindeed, for

चand

अभ्येतिcomes near, approaches

भूयःagain, further; more

चand

अपिalso, even

प्रवर्ततेproceeds, increases, grows

दुःखम्sorrow

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that persistent rumination intensifies suffering; the practical remedy is to stop repeatedly dwelling on sorrow, because attention and mental rehearsal make it feel more present and allow it to expand.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on right conduct and inner steadiness, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira by offering a concise psychological-ethical counsel: grief is best treated by not continually revisiting it in thought.