Shloka 11

भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या

Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa

Devanagari script

अहो सिद्धार्थता तेषां येषां सन्‍तीह पाणय: । अतीव स्पृहये तेषां येषां सन्‍्तीह पाणय:

Transliteration

aho siddhārthatā teṣāṁ yeṣāṁ santīha pāṇayaḥ | atīva spṛhaye teṣāṁ yeṣāṁ santīha pāṇayaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Bhīṣma: «¡Ah! Verdaderamente colmados están aquellos que en este mundo tienen manos. Con ardiente anhelo codicio la buena fortuna de quienes aquí poseen manos».

Word by Word

• अहो: ah! indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो

• सिद्धार्थता: fulfilment; successfulness
• सिद्धार्थता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धार्थता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तेषाम्: of those
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• येषाम्: of whom
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सन्ति: are; exist
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural

• इह: here; in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• पाणयः: hands
• पाणयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अतीव: exceedingly; very much
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव

• स्पृहये: I long for; I desire
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृह्
• Form: Present, First, Singular, Atmanepada

• तेषाम्: of those
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• येषाम्: of whom
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सन्ति: are; exist
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural

• इह: here; in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• पाणयः: hands
• पाणयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)
• hands (pāṇayaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma highlights gratitude for the human body and its instruments of action: having ‘hands’ symbolizes the power to perform dharma—service, charity, protection, and disciplined effort. One should not take basic capacities for granted, but recognize them as a providential opportunity for righteous action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the reflective instruction of Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma speaks in a contemplative tone, emphasizing how even ordinary bodily faculties are a form of fortune. The verse reads like a lament or self-reproach that underscores the value of embodied agency in pursuing ethical and spiritual aims.