Shloka 7

Devanagari script

उपोष्य संशितो भूत्वा हित्वा वेदकृता: श्रुती: । आचार इत्यनाचार: कृपणा: फलहेतव:,उपवासपूर्वक कठोर नियमोंका पालन करे। वेदकी फलश्रुतियोंका परित्याग कर दे अर्थात्‌ काम्य कर्मोंको छोड़ दे, सकाम कर्मोके आचरणको अनाचार समझकर उनमें प्रवृत्त न हो। कृपण (क्षुद्र) मनुष्य ही फलकी इच्छासे कर्म करते हैं

Transliteration

upoṣya saṁśito bhūtvā hitvā vedakṛtāḥ śrutīḥ | ācāra ity anācāraḥ kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Après avoir jeûné et s’être affermi dans la discipline, il faut abandonner les passages du Veda qui promettent des récompenses — c’est-à-dire renoncer aux rites dictés par le désir. N’entreprends pas de tels actes en les appelant “bonne conduite” : ce qui est fait pour le profit est, en vérité, mauvaise conduite. Seuls les esprits mesquins agissent avec le fruit pour mobile.»

Word by Word

उपोष्यhaving fasted

संशितःdisciplined; well-restrained

भूत्वाhaving become

हित्वाhaving abandoned

वेदकृताःmade/laid down by the Veda

श्रुतीःVedic injunctions / scriptural statements

आचारःconduct; practice

इतिthus; as (called)

अनाचारःmisconduct; improper practice

कृपणाःmiserly/mean persons

फलहेतवःthose whose motive is (worldly) result

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Veda

Śruti

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True dharma requires disciplined self-restraint and renunciation of desire for results; actions performed for ‘phala’ (reward) are spiritually inferior and should not be justified as proper conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical and spiritual conduct, urging him toward austerity and non-attachment, and warning against ritual action motivated by promised rewards.