Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अनसूया क्षमा शान्ति: संतोष: प्रियवादिता । सत्यं दानमनायासो नैष मार्गों दुरात्मनाम्‌,किसीके दोष न देखना, हृदयमें क्षमाभाव रखना, शान्ति, संतोष, मीठे वचन बोलना, सत्य, दान तथा क्रियामें परिश्रमका बोध न होना--से सदगुण हैं। दुरात्मा पुरुष इस मार्गसे नहीं चलते हैं

Transliteration

anasūyā kṣamā śāntiḥ santoṣaḥ priyavāditā | satyaṃ dānam anāyāso naiṣa mārgo durātmanām ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: Freedom from fault-finding, forgiveness, inner peace, contentment, speaking pleasantly, truthfulness, generosity, and acting without a sense of strain—these are the virtues of the good. Men of wicked disposition do not walk this path.

Word by Word

अनसूयाnon-censoriousness; not finding fault

क्षमाforbearance; forgiveness

शान्तिःpeace; tranquility

संतोषःcontentment

प्रियवादिताspeaking pleasantly; sweet speech

सत्यम्truthfulness

दानम्giving; charity

अनायासःeffortlessness; absence of strain

नnot

एषःthis

मार्गःpath; way

दुरात्मनाम्of evil-minded persons

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?

Bhīṣma lists a cluster of dharmic virtues—non-fault-finding, forgiveness, peace, contentment, pleasant speech, truth, charity, and unstrained action—and states that people of wicked character do not naturally follow such a path.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct after the war, summarizing key qualities that mark the good and distinguishing them from the durātman (morally corrupt).