Shloka 3

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अन्न ते वर्तयिष्यामि शृणु राजन्‌ यथाक्रमम्‌ । ऋषीणां वदतां पूर्व श्रुतमासीत्‌ यथा पुरा

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | anna te vartayiṣyāmi śṛṇu rājan yathākramam | ṛṣīṇāṃ vadatāṃ pūrvaṃ śrutam āsīt yathā purā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh rey, ahora te relataré este asunto en el debido orden. Escucha con atención: es tal como lo oí hace mucho tiempo, de labios de los sabios de épocas antiguas cuando hablaban».

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha-bhuta), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अन्न: food
• अन्न: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• वर्तयिष्यामि: I shall explain / set forth
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Future (Simple Future), First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शृणु: listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• यथाक्रमम्: in due order
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा-क्रम

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वदताम्: of (those) speaking
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद्
• Form: Present active participle, Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• पूर्वम्: formerly / earlier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व

• श्रुतम्: heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Past passive participle, Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यथा: as / just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• पुरा: in ancient times
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Rājan (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Ṛṣi (sages)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical authority of dharma-teaching as something received through a reliable lineage: Bhishma presents his instruction as faithfully transmitted from ancient sages and promises an orderly, careful exposition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma begins a new section of instruction to the king (Yudhishthira), announcing that he will narrate the topic step by step, based on what he previously heard from the sages in ancient times.