Shloka 73

पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation

Devanagari script

भारत! कुरुनन्दन! इस प्रकार गौतम वहाँ अपने पुत्रके विलम्बपूर्वक कार्य करनेके कारण बहुत प्रसन्न हुए थे ।।

Transliteration

bhārata! kurunandana! evaṁ sarveṣu kāryeṣu vimṛśya puruṣas tataḥ | cireṇa niścayaṁ kṛtvā ciraṁ na paritapyate ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “O Bharata, O joy of the Kurus! Thus, in every undertaking, a man should deliberate well; for one who reaches a decision only after long reflection does not suffer prolonged regret thereafter.”

Word by Word

• {'bhārata': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'kurunandana': 'O delight of the Kuru line (honorific address)', 'evaṁ': 'thus

• in this manner', 'sarveṣu kāryeṣu': 'in all tasks/undertakings', 'vimṛśya': 'having reflected

• having considered carefully', 'puruṣaḥ': 'a person

• a man', 'tataḥ': 'then

• thereafter', 'cireṇa': 'after a long time

• slowly, with patience', 'niścayam': 'a decision

• firm conclusion', 'kṛtvā': 'having made', 'ciraṁ': 'for a long time', 'na paritapyate': 'does not grieve

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira (Bhārata, Kurunandana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should not act hastily. Careful reflection before deciding leads to steadiness and prevents long-lasting remorse.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, he generalizes a moral lesson: thoughtful deliberation in all actions yields decisions that do not later cause enduring regret.