Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अनुसृत्य तु यत्नात्‌ स तथा वै ब्रह्महत्यया

Transliteration

anusṛtya tu yatnāt sa tathā vai brahmahatyayā

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Yet, having pursued it with earnest effort, he was still, in that very manner, followed and afflicted by the sin of brahmahatyā (the killing of a brāhmaṇa).”

Word by Word

• अनुसृत्य: having followed; pursuing
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु√सृ (सरणे)
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययः), कर्तरि, absolutive (gerund)

• तु: but; however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• यत्नात्: from/with effort; diligently
• यत्नात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत्न
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: thus; in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• वै: indeed; surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• ब्रह्महत्यया: by/with brahmin-slaying (the sin of killing a Brahmin)
• ब्रह्महत्यया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्यā
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• brahmahatyā (sin of killing a brāhmaṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even sustained effort cannot easily shake off grave wrongdoing; brahmahatyā is portrayed as a heavy moral stain whose consequences pursue the doer, underscoring accountability and the need for proper expiation aligned with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma continues a discourse on dharma by describing a person who, despite striving diligently, remains pursued by the consequence of brahmahatyā—highlighting the persistent nature of certain sins within the ethical framework of the Śānti Parva.