Shloka 144

Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

स्नाह्मालभ पिब प्राश जुहुध्यग्नीन्‌ यजेत्यपि । ब्रवीहि शृूणु चापीति विवश: कार्यते परै:,“महाराज! स्नान कीजिये, तेल लगवाइये, पानी पीजिये, भोजन कीजिये, आहुति दीजिये, अग्निहोत्रमें संलग्न होइये, अपनी कहिये और दूसरोंकी सुनिये।” इत्यादि बातें कह- कहकर दूसरे लोग राजाको वैसा करनेके लिये विवश कर देते हैं

Transliteration

snāhi mālabha piba prāśa juhudhy agnīn yajety api | brūhi śṛṇu cāpīti vivaśaḥ kāryate paraiḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma dijo: «Báñate; úntate aceite; bebe agua; come; vierte oblaciones; ocúpate del rito del fuego; habla, y también escucha.» Con tales exhortaciones repetidas, los demás obligan al rey a actuar, encadenándolo a rutinas prescritas y deberes públicos en vez de dejarle juicio independiente.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'snāhi', 'meaning': 'bathe (imperative)'}, {'term': 'mālabha (mā + alabha)', 'meaning': 'have oil/unguent applied

• anoint yourself (imperative sense)'}, {'term': 'piba', 'meaning': 'drink (imperative)'}, {'term': 'prāśa', 'meaning': 'eat

• partake of food (imperative)'}, {'term': 'juhudhi', 'meaning': 'offer oblations

• pour into the fire (imperative)'}, {'term': 'agnīn', 'meaning': 'the sacred fires (especially household/ritual fires)'}, {'term': 'yajet', 'meaning': 'he should sacrifice

• perform worship/ritual (optative/vidhi sense)'}, {'term': 'brūhi', 'meaning': 'speak

• say (imperative)'}, {'term': 'śṛṇu', 'meaning': 'listen

• hear (imperative)'}, {'term': 'vivaśaḥ', 'meaning': 'helpless

• not acting freely'}, {'term': 'kāryate', 'meaning': 'is made to do

• is caused to act'}, {'term': 'paraiḥ', 'meaning': 'by others

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• king (rājā, implied addressee)
• sacred fires (agnīḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma highlights how a ruler’s agency can be eroded by constant directives from attendants, priests, and courtiers. The ethical point is that governance requires inner autonomy and discernment; otherwise, even ‘dutiful’ actions become mere compliance under pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on royal conduct in the Shanti Parva, he describes the king’s daily life being filled with commands—bathe, anoint, eat, perform offerings, speak and listen—so that the king is driven by others’ expectations and ritual schedules rather than acting freely.