Shloka 21

Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti

Devanagari script

विप्लुते नरलोके वै ब्रह्म चैव ननाश ह । नाशाच्च ब्रह्मणो राजन्‌ धर्मो नाशमथागमत्‌,इस प्रकार मनुष्यलोकमें धर्मका विप्लव हो जानेपर वेदोंके स्वाध्यायका भी लोप हो गया। राजन! वैदिक ज्ञानका लोप होनेसे यज्ञ आदि कर्मोंका भी नाश हो गया

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | viplute naraloke vai brahma caiva nanāśa ha | nāśāc ca brahmaṇo rājan dharmo nāśam athāgamat |

Translation

Bhishma said: When disorder overwhelmed the world of men, the sacred Vedic learning itself perished. O King, with the loss of that Brahman (Vedic knowledge), dharma too fell into ruin.

Word by Word

• विप्लुते: when (it was) in upheaval/overturned
• विप्लुते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्लुत (वि+प्लु, क्त)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नरलोके: in the world of men
• नरलोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरलोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• ब्रह्म: the Veda/sacred knowledge
• ब्रह्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: also/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• ननाश: perished/was lost
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ह: indeed (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• नाशात्: from (the) destruction
• नाशात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ब्रह्मणः: of the Veda/sacred knowledge
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• धर्मः: dharma/righteous order
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नाशम्: destruction/ruin
• नाशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अथ: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• अगमत्: went/attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Rājan (the King, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)
• naraloka (human world)
• brahma (Vedic knowledge)
• dharma