Shloka 8

Devanagari script

यथा ज्ञाने परिचय: कर्तव्यस्तत्फलार्थिना | तथा धर्मे परिचय: कर्तव्यस्तत्फलार्थिना,जैसे ज्ञानका फल चाहनेवालेके लिये ज्ञानसे परिचित होना आवश्यक है, उसी प्रकार धर्मका फल चाहनेवाले मनुष्यको भी धर्मका परिचय प्राप्त करना चाहिये

Transliteration

yathā jñāne paricayaḥ kartavyas tatphalārthinā | tathā dharme paricayaḥ kartavyas tatphalārthinā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: Just as one who seeks the fruit of knowledge must become truly acquainted with knowledge, so too must a person who seeks the fruit of dharma become genuinely acquainted with dharma. Mere desire for results is not enough; understanding and lived familiarity are required for dharma to bear its proper outcome.

Word by Word

यथाjust as

ज्ञानेin/with regard to knowledge

परिचयःacquaintance, understanding

कर्तव्यःto be done, should be done

तत्of that

फलार्थिनाby/for one desiring the fruit

तथाso, in the same way

धर्मेin/with regard to dharma

परिचयःacquaintance, understanding

कर्तव्यःto be done, should be done

तत्of that

फलार्थिनाby/for one desiring the fruit

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

To gain the results of either knowledge or dharma, one must cultivate real familiarity with them—study, reflection, and practice—rather than merely wishing for their benefits.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, emphasizing that dharma’s fruits come only to those who properly understand and internalize dharma, just as knowledge benefits only the one who truly learns it.