Shloka 10

अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था

Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire

Devanagari script

कृतस्य पूर्व चानर्थरयुक्तस्याप्यनुतिष्ठत: । इमं पश्यत संगत्या मम दैवमुपप्लवम्‌,'पहले मैंने जो प्रयत्न किया था उसमें अनेक प्रकारके अनर्थ खड़े हो गये थे। उन अनर्थोंसे युक्त होनेपर भी मैं धनोपार्जनकी ही चेष्टामें लगा रहा; परंतु देखो, आज इन बछड़ोंकी सड़तिसे मुझपर कैसा दैवी उपद्रव आ गया?

Transliteration

kṛtasya pūrvaṃ cānartharayuktasyāpy anutiṣṭhataḥ | imaṃ paśyata saṅgatyā mama daivam upaplavam ||

Translation

Bhishma dijo: «Antes, cuando emprendí mis esfuerzos, surgieron muchas clases de consecuencias dañinas. Aunque aquellos empeños ya estaban enredados en la desdicha, persistí en afanarme por la adquisición de riquezas. Pero mirad ahora: por mi apego, ¡qué calamidad enviada por el destino ha caído sobre mí!»

Word by Word

{'kṛtasya''of what was done

of an undertaken act/effort', 'pūrvam''formerly

earlier', 'anartha''harm, misfortune, undesirable consequence', 'anartha-rayukta': 'connected with harm

fraught with adverse results', 'api''even

although', 'anutiṣṭhataḥ''of one persisting/continuing

while carrying on', 'paśyata''see! behold! (imperative, plural/polite)', 'saṅgatyā': 'through attachment/association

due to clinging', 'mama''my', 'daivam': 'fated

arising from destiny', 'upaplava''calamity, upheaval, affliction, disaster'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Persisting in wealth-seeking or any pursuit despite clear harmful consequences, especially when driven by attachment (saṅga), invites further suffering; one should recognize warning signs, restrain greed, and act with discernment in line with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reflects on his earlier actions: although his efforts had already produced ‘anartha’ (harmful outcomes), he continued due to attachment. He now points to the present misfortune as a ‘daiva upaplava’—a calamity experienced as fate’s blow—highlighting the moral causality behind it.