Shloka 63

कर्मयोग–ज्ञानयज्ञ–अवतारोपदेश

Karma-Yoga, Jñāna-Yajña, and Avatāra Instruction

Devanagari script

क्रोधाद्‌ भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्‌ स्मृतिविशभ्रम: । स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्‌ बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्‌ प्रणश्यति,क्रोधसे अत्यन्त मूढभाव उत्पन्न हो जाता है, मूढभावसे स्मृतिमें भ्रम हो जाता है, स्मृतिमें भ्रम हो जानेसे बुद्धि अर्थात्‌ ज्ञानशक्तिका नाश हो जाता है और बुद्धिका नाश हो जानेसे यह पुरुष अपनी स्थितिसे गिर जाता है

Transliteration

krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ, sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ | smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo, buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati ||

Translation

De la ira nace el extravío; del extravío viene la confusión de la memoria. Cuando la memoria se derrumba, se destruye el discernimiento; y cuando el discernimiento se destruye, la persona cae—arruinada, apartada de su recto sostén.

Word by Word

क्रोधात्from anger

भवतिarises/comes to be

सम्मोहःdelusion

सम्मोहात्from delusion

स्मृतिविभ्रमःconfusion of memory

स्मृतिभ्रंशात्from loss of memory

बुद्धिनाशःdestruction of understanding

बुद्धिनाशात्from destruction of understanding

प्रणश्यतिperishes/is ruined

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Anger triggers a chain reaction—delusion, confused memory, loss of discernment—ending in moral and practical ruin. The verse warns that inner passions can dismantle ethical clarity and right action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Bhīṣma Parva context, Arjuna reflects on the catastrophic consequences of uncontrolled anger and confusion, framing a moral-psychological argument about how warriors and rulers can fall from dharma when inner faculties collapse.