Shloka 137

Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment

Parāśara’s Instruction

Devanagari script

सूचीरोमा हरिश्मश्रुरूर्ध्वकेशश्वलाचल: । गीतवादित्रतत्त्वज्ञो गीतवादनकप्रिय:,रोएँ सूईके समान हैं। दाढ़ी-मूछ काली है। सिरके बाल ऊपरकी ओर उठे हुए हैं। आप चराचर-स्वरूप हैं। गाने-बजानेके तत्त्वको जाननेवाले हैं। गाना-बजाना आपको अधिक प्रिय है

Transliteration

sūcīromā hariśmaśrur ūrdhvakeśaś calācalaḥ | gītavāditratattvajño gītavādanakapriyaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “His body-hair is needle-like; his beard and moustache are dark. The hair of his head stands upright. He embodies both the moving and the unmoving worlds. He understands the true principles of song and instrumental music, and he is especially fond of singing and playing.”

Word by Word

सूचीरोमाhaving hair like needles (bristly-haired)

हरिश्मश्रुःhaving tawny/dark moustache and beard

ऊर्ध्वकेशःhaving hair standing upright

चलाचलःboth moving and unmoving (all beings)

गीतवादित्रतत्त्वज्ञःknower of the principles of singing and instruments

गीतवादनकप्रियःfond of singing and playing (music)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

gīta (song)

vāditra (musical instruments)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a figure marked by unusual ascetic/cosmic traits yet also refined knowledge of the arts: true excellence can include mastery of aesthetic disciplines (song and instruments) alongside a broader, all-encompassing vision of reality (calācala—moving and unmoving).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s discourse in the Śānti Parva, he is describing a particular being/person by distinctive physical signs and capacities—especially his comprehensive nature and his expertise and fondness for music—within a larger didactic context.