Shloka 18

Brāhmaṇa-kṛtya, Āśrama-niyama, and Dāna-prasaṃsā

Duties of the Brāhmaṇa, āśrama discipline, and praise of giving

Devanagari script

न तत्सद:सत्परिषत्‌ सभा च सा प्राप्प यां न कुरुते सदा भयम्‌ । धर्मतत्त्वमवगाहा बुद्धिमान्‌ यो<भ्युपैति स धुरंधर: पुमान्‌

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | na tat sad-asat pariṣat sabhā ca sā prāpya yāṃ na kurute sadā bhayam | dharma-tattvam avagāhya buddhimān yo 'bhyupaiti sa dhuraṃdharaḥ pumān ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : «Il n’est point d’assemblée, point de conseil des hommes de bien, point de rassemblement du peuple tel que, l’ayant atteint, un homme ne ressente jamais la peur. Le véritablement capable est le sage qui plonge dans la réalité du dharma, la comprend en profondeur et choisit d’y conformer sa vie, plutôt que de s’en remettre à la prétendue sécurité des groupes ou des institutions.»

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'tat': 'that (such a one/that kind)', 'sad-asat': 'good and bad

• virtuous and non-virtuous (mixed)', 'pariṣat': 'council

• learned/elite assembly', 'sabhā': 'assembly hall

• court', 'prāpya': 'having attained

• upon reaching', 'yām': 'which (feminine accusative

• referring to sabhā/pariṣat)', 'na kurute': 'does not make/experience (here: does not have)', 'sadā': 'always', 'bhayam': 'fear

• apprehension', 'dharma-tattvam': 'the true principle/reality of dharma', 'avagāhya': 'having plunged into

• having comprehended thoroughly', 'buddhimān': 'wise

• discerning', 'yaḥ': 'who', 'abhyupaiti': 'approaches

• accepts as one’s course', 'saḥ': 'he', 'dhuraṃdharaḥ': 'a burden-bearer

• one who can carry responsibility', 'pumān': 'man

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (Bhīṣma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

External supports—assemblies, councils, even gatherings of the virtuous—cannot guarantee freedom from fear. True steadiness comes from deeply understanding dharma (dharma-tattva) and deliberately adopting it as one’s guiding principle; such a person is called dhuraṃdhara, capable of bearing life’s burdens.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma continues his ethical counsel, shifting attention away from social or institutional reassurance and toward inner grounding in dharma as the reliable refuge amid uncertainty.