Shloka 46
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
सो<ब्रवीद् भृशसंतप्तो दु:खेनाश्रूणि वर्तयन् । श्रुतधैर्यप्रसादेन पश्चात्तापमुपागत:
so 'bravīd bhṛśa-saṃtapto duḥkhena aśrūṇi vartayan | śruta-dhairya-prasādena paścāt-tāpam upāgataḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Overwhelmed with intense anguish, he spoke while shedding tears of sorrow. Yet, sustained by the calming strength born of sacred learning and steadfast self-control, he fell into remorse and began to speak inwardly—reflecting on the impropriety of his wife’s killing.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one is overwhelmed by grief, the stabilizing power of śruta (sacred learning) and dhairya (steadfast self-control) enables moral reflection; recognizing an act as improper leads to paścāt-tāpa (remorse), which is the first step toward ethical correction and atonement.
Medhātithi Gautama, having reflected on the wrongness of his wife’s killing, becomes intensely distressed. He weeps, yet restrains himself through the composure gained from Vedic study and fortitude, and then begins to speak inwardly in repentance.