Shloka 23

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

अतिथीन्‌ पूजयामास यथावत्‌ समुपागतान्‌ । एवं हि सुमहान्‌ कालो व्यत्यक्रामत तस्य वै

Transliteration

atithīn pūjayāmāsa yathāvat samupāgatān | evaṁ hi sumahān kālo vyatyakrāmata tasya vai ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : Il honorait comme il se doit les hôtes qui se présentaient, selon les règles. Ainsi, pour lui, s’écoula une très longue durée, vécue dans la pratique constante de l’hospitalité et de la conduite droite.

Word by Word

• अतिथीन्: guests
• अतिथीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पूजयामास: honoured / worshipped
• पूजयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज्
• Form: Perfect (Periphrastic), Third, Singular

• यथावत्: duly, properly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत्

• समुपागतान्: who had arrived / come
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-उप-आ-गम्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• सुमहान्: very great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्यत्यक्रामत: passed by / elapsed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-अति-क्रम्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Singular

• तस्य: of him / his
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• वै: indeed, surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• atithi (guests)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights atithi-satkara (honoring guests) as a practical expression of dharma: receiving those who come with due respect and propriety is itself a sustained ethical discipline.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a person who regularly receives and honors arriving guests according to proper custom; as this routine of righteous hospitality continues, a long period of time passes.