Shloka 11

Devanagari script

मनोवाक्कायिके धर्मे कुरु श्रद्धां समाहितः । निवृत्तौ वा प्रवृत्त वा सम्प्रधार्य गुणागुणान्‌,पहले निवृत्ति और प्रवृत्ति-मार्गमें जो गुण-अवगुण हैं, उनका तुम अच्छी तरह निश्चय कर लो; फिर एकाग्रचित्त हो मन, वाणी और शरीरद्वारा होनेवाले धर्ममें श्रद्धा करो (अर्थात्‌ श्रद्धापूर्वक धर्मके पालनमें लग जाओ)

Transliteration

manovākkāyike dharme kuru śraddhāṃ samāhitaḥ | nivṛttau vā pravṛttau vā sampradhārya guṇāguṇān ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: With a collected mind, place your faith in dharma as expressed through thought, speech, and bodily action. Whether you choose the path of withdrawal or the path of engagement, first weigh well their merits and faults, and then practice dharma with steady, focused conviction.

Word by Word

• {'manas': 'mind

• inner thought', 'vāk': 'speech

• verbal expression', 'kāyika': 'bodily

• pertaining to the body and actions', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• right conduct', 'kuru': 'do

• practice (imperative)', 'śraddhā': 'faith

• earnest conviction', 'samāhitaḥ': 'collected

• concentrated', 'nivṛtti': 'withdrawal

• turning away from worldly action', 'pravṛtti': 'engagement

• turning toward action in the world', 'sampradhārya': 'having thoroughly considered

• having deliberated', 'guṇa': 'merit

• beneficial quality', 'aguṇa': 'fault

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma must be practiced integrally through mind, speech, and body, with focused faith; before choosing either renunciatory withdrawal (nivṛtti) or worldly engagement (pravṛtti), one should carefully assess the merits and drawbacks of each.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war, emphasizing deliberate ethical discernment and steady commitment to dharma in whichever life-orientation one adopts.