Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अनित्यचित्त: पुरुषस्तस्मिन्‌ को जातु विश्वसेत्‌ | तस्मात्प्रधानं यत्‌ कार्य प्रत्यक्ष तत्‌ समाचरेत्‌,बुरा मनुष्य भला और भला मनुष्य बुरा हो जाया करता है। शत्रु भी मित्र बन जाता है और मित्र भी बिगड़ जाता है; क्योंकि मनुष्यका चित्त सदैव एक-सा नहीं रहता। अतः उसपर किसी भी समय कोई कैसे विश्वास करेगा? इसलिये जो प्रधान कार्य हो, उसे अपनी आँखोंके सामने पूरा कर देना चाहिये

Transliteration

anityacittaḥ puruṣas tasmin ko jātu viśvaset | tasmāt pradhānaṃ yat kāryaṃ pratyakṣaṃ tat samācaret ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “A man’s mind is inconstant; who could ever place trust in him at any time? Therefore, whatever task is truly primary and necessary should be carried through to completion directly before one’s own eyes.”

Word by Word

अनित्यचित्तःone whose mind is inconstant

पुरुषःa man/person

तस्मिन्in him/in that (person)

कःwho?

जातुever/at any time

विश्वसेत्should trust

तस्मात्therefore/from that

प्रधानम्chief/most important

यत्which/whatever

कार्यम्task/work to be done

प्रत्यक्षम्before one’s eyes/directly

तत्that

समाचरेत्should carry out/perform properly

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?

Because human intentions and moods change, trust should be measured; crucial duties should be executed promptly and under one’s direct supervision rather than left to uncertain future intentions.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma offers pragmatic counsel on governance and conduct, warning about the unreliability of fluctuating minds and urging completion of essential tasks without delay.