Shloka 37

मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169

Devanagari script

जघान गौतमो राजन्‌ यथा दस्युगणास्तथा । हिंसापटर्घणाहीन: सदा प्राणिवधे रत:

Transliteration

jaghāna gautamo rājan yathā dasyugaṇās tathā | hiṁsāpaṭarghaṇāhīnaḥ sadā prāṇivadhē rataḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, Gautama tuait les êtres vivants comme le font les bandes de brigands. Sans aucune retenue face à la violence, il demeurait sans cesse porté au massacre des créatures.»

Word by Word

• जघान: slew/killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद) / परोक्षभूत (perfect), प्रथम, एकवचन

• गौतमः: Gautama
• गौतमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• दस्यु-गणाः: bands of robbers
• Type: Noun
• Root: दस्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: so/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• हिंसा-पटु-ऋघण-हीनः: skilled in violence, devoid of compassion
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिंसा (प्रातिपदिक) + पटु (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋघण (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• प्राणि-वधे: in the killing of creatures
• प्राणि-वधे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणि (प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• रतः: engaged/delighting (in)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम (धातु) → रत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Gautama
• King (Yudhiṣṭhira, addressed as rājan)
• dasyugaṇa (bands of robbers)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unrestrained violence toward living beings is equated with the conduct of robbers; ethical life (dharma) requires restraint and compassion rather than habitual killing.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a man named Gautama whose daily behavior is characterized by roaming and killing like outlaws, emphasizing his lack of restraint and constant intent to slaughter creatures.