Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यां दिशं विद्यया यान्ति यां च गच्छन्ति कर्मणा । शृणुष्वैकमना वत्स गद्दरं होतदन्तरम्‌,“वत्स! ज्ञानसे मनुष्य जिस दिशाको जाते हैं और कर्मद्वारा उन्हें जिस गतिकी प्राप्ति होती है, वह सब बताता हूँ, एकचित्त होकर सुनो। इन दोनोंका अन्तर अत्यन्त गहन है

Transliteration

yāṃ diśaṃ vidyayā yānti yāṃ ca gacchanti karmaṇā | śṛṇuṣvaikamanā vatsa gahanaṃ hy etad antaram ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : « Cher enfant, écoute d’un esprit unique et ferme : je te dirai vers quelle direction les hommes parviennent par la connaissance, et quelle voie ils obtiennent par l’action. La différence entre ces deux chemins est d’une profondeur extrême. »

Word by Word

याम्which (direction)

दिशम्direction

विद्ययाby knowledge

यान्तिgo

याम्and which (direction)

चand

गच्छन्तिgo

कर्मणाby action

शृणुष्वlisten

एकमनाःsingle-minded

वत्सO child/dear one

गदामिI tell/say

एतत्this

अन्तरम्difference/interval

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

vatsa (addressed listener, traditionally Yudhishthira)

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?

Bhishma distinguishes the spiritual destination attained through liberating knowledge (vidyā/jñāna) from the results attained through action (karma), emphasizing that their difference is subtle and profound.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma addresses his listener affectionately and prepares to explain two paths—knowledge and action—urging focused attention because the distinction between them is deep.