Shloka 2

अध्याय २२० — बलिवासवसंवादः

Bali–Vāsava Dialogue on Kāla and Steadfastness

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच दममेव प्रशंसन्ति वृद्धा: श्रुतिसमाधय: । सर्वेषामेव वर्णानां ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषत:,भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! मनोयोगपूर्वक वेदार्थका विचार करनेवाले वृद्ध पुरुष सामान्यतः सभी वर्णोके लिये और विशेषतः: ब्राह्मणके लिये मन और इन्द्रियोंके संयमरूप “दम' की ही प्रशंसा करते हैं

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | damam eva praśaṃsanti vṛddhāḥ śruti-samādhayaḥ | sarveṣām eva varṇānāṃ brāhmaṇasya viśeṣataḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Yudhiṣṭhira, the elders, firmly grounded in the settled conclusions of the Veda, praise self-restraint (dama) alone. They commend it for all social orders, and most especially for the Brahmin—because mastery over mind and senses is the root of right conduct and spiritual clarity.”

Word by Word

• {'damam (dama)': 'self-restraint

• control of the mind and senses', 'eva': 'alone

• precisely', 'praśaṃsanti': 'they praise

• they commend', 'vṛddhāḥ': 'elders

• mature and authoritative persons', 'śruti': 'Vedic revelation

• the Vedas', 'samādhayaḥ': 'settled conclusions

• firmly established understandings (of doctrine)', 'sarveṣām': 'of all', 'varṇānām': 'of the varṇas

• social orders/classes', 'brāhmaṇasya': 'of the Brahmin', 'viśeṣataḥ': 'especially

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira (implied addressee)
• vṛddhāḥ (elders)
• śruti (the Veda)