Shloka 11

भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation

Devanagari script

न हि देहभूता शक्यं त्यक्तुं कर्माण्यशेषत: । यस्तु कर्मफलत्यागी स त्यागीत्यभिधीयते,क्योंकि शरीरधारी किसी भी मनुष्यके द्वारा सम्पूर्णतासे सब कर्मोका त्याग किया जाना शक्य नहीं है;/ इसलिये जो कर्मफलका त्यागी है, वही त्यागी है--यह कहा जाता हैः

Transliteration

na hi deha-bhūtā śakyaṃ tyaktuṃ karmāṇy aśeṣataḥ | yas tu karma-phala-tyāgī sa tyāgīty abhidhīyate ||

Translation

Car pour l’être incarné, il n’est pas possible d’abandonner entièrement toutes les actions. C’est pourquoi l’on dit que renonçant est celui qui renonce aux fruits de l’action.

Word by Word

नnot

हिindeed/for

देहभूताembodied (one who has a body)

शक्यम्possible

त्यक्तुम्to abandon

कर्माणिactions

अशेषतःentirely/without remainder

यःwho

तुbut/however

कर्मफलत्यागीone who renounces the fruit of actions

सःhe

त्यागीrenouncer

इतिthus/so (quotative)

अभिधीयतेis said/is called

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Complete abandonment of all action is impossible for an embodied person; genuine renunciation is defined as giving up attachment to the results (karma-phala) while continuing rightful action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Bhīṣma Parva’s battlefield discourse, Arjuna articulates a principle about renunciation: since life in a body necessarily involves action, the ethical focus shifts from stopping action to relinquishing claim over its outcomes.