Shloka 17

Bhīṣma’s Dream-Counsel and the Prasvāpa Astra (भीष्मस्वप्नदर्शनम् / प्रस्वापास्त्रोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

वयं तु गुरवस्तुभ्यं तस्मात्‌ त्वां वारयामहे

Transliteration

vayaṃ tu guravas tubhyaṃ tasmāt tvāṃ vārayāmahe

Translation

«Pero nosotros somos tus mayores y tus maestros; por eso te contenemos y te exhortamos a desistir, por deber y por celo de lo que es justo.»

Word by Word

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• गुरवः: elders/teachers
• गुरवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Dative, Singular

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that reason
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Accusative, Singular

• वारयामहे: we restrain/forbid (you)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वारय् (√वृ, causative)
• Form: Present, First, Plural, Ātmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• you (addressee, unnamed in this half-verse)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Those who stand in the role of elders and teachers have a dharmic responsibility to restrain a younger person from harmful or unrighteous action; authority is exercised as protective guidance, not domination.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses someone younger or subordinate, asserting his status as an elder/teacher and therefore formally dissuading that person from a course of action—an intervention typical of the Udyoga Parva’s attempts to avert or regulate the impending conflict.