Shloka 14

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच दानेन तपसा यज्ञैरद्रोहेण दमेन च । ब्राह्मणप्रमुखा वर्णा: क्षेममिच्छेयुरात्मन:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca dānena tapasā yajñair adroheṇa damena ca | brāhmaṇa-pramukhā varṇāḥ kṣemam iccheyur ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: By generosity, austerity, sacrificial worship, non-malice, and self-restraint, the social orders—led by the Brahmanas—should seek their own welfare and security.

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

दानेनby giving/charity

तपसाby austerity

यज्ञैःby sacrifices

अद्रोहेणby non-malice/non-hostility

दमेनby self-control

चand

ब्राह्मणप्रमुखाःhaving Brahmins as foremost

वर्णाःthe social classes (varnas)

क्षेमम्welfare/security

इच्छेयुःshould desire/would wish

आत्मनःof themselves/for themselves

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Brāhmaṇa

Varṇāḥ (the social orders)

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?

Bhishma teaches that true welfare (kṣema) is secured through a cluster of dharmic disciplines—charity, austerity, sacrificial duty, freedom from malice, and self-restraint. These are presented as practical means for both personal stability and social harmony.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous conduct after the war. Here he lays down a normative guideline for the varṇas, especially under Brahmana leadership, to pursue peace and well-being through ethical and religious practices rather than hostility.