Shloka 12

Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma

Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics

Devanagari script

एकान्ततो हाामर्यादात्‌ सर्वोडप्युद्धिजते जन: । दस्यवो<प्यभिशड्कन्ते निरनुक्रोशकारिण:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | ekāntato hy āmaryādāt sarvo 'py udvijate janaḥ | dasyavo 'py abhiśaṅkante niranukrośakāriṇaḥ, bhārata |

Translation

Bhishma dit : Devant un homme entièrement sans retenue ni limites, tous deviennent anxieux et troublés. Même les brigands éprouvent soupçon et crainte envers celui qui n’agit que par une cruauté sans pitié, ô Bhārata—car une violence sans bornes rend la société dangereuse pour tous, y compris pour les méchants.

Word by Word

• {'ekāntataḥ': 'entirely, absolutely', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'āmaryādāt (a-maryādāt)': 'from one who is without maryādā (limits, propriety, social restraint)', 'sarvaḥ api': 'everyone, all people', 'udvijate': 'is agitated, becomes uneasy, is alarmed', 'janaḥ': 'people, the public', 'dasyavaḥ': 'robbers, bandits', 'api': 'even', 'abhiśaṅkante': 'suspect, fear, are apprehensive of', 'niranukrośa-kāriṇaḥ': 'of one who acts without compassion

• a doer of merciless deeds', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)
• dasyavaḥ (robbers/bandits)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A person who abandons maryādā—ethical limits, restraint, and social propriety—creates fear everywhere; unbounded cruelty is so destabilizing that even criminals distrust and fear such a person.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma explains principles of conduct and governance, warning that lawless, compassionless behavior makes society insecure and undermines trust at every level.