Shloka 5

पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation

Devanagari script

चिरं स चिन्तयत्यर्थश्रिरं जाग्रच्चिरं स्वपन्‌ । चिरं कार्याभिपत्तिं च चिरकारी तथोच्यते

Transliteration

ciraṃ sa cintayaty arthaśrīraṃ jāgrac ciraṃ svapan | ciraṃ kāryābhipattiṃ ca cirakārī tathocyate ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Longtemps il méditait sur les affaires de gain et de prospérité ; longtemps il veillait, et longtemps il dormait. Et il n’achevait ses entreprises qu’après un long délai. C’est pourquoi on en vint à l’appeler “Cirakārī”, celui qui agit tard.»

Word by Word

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चिन्तयति: thinks/reflects
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अर्थशिरम्: the head/essence of a matter (main point of the purpose)
• अर्थशिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थशिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम्

• जाग्रत्: being awake, waking
• जाग्रत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जाग्रत्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम्

• स्वपन्: sleeping
• स्वपन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्वप्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम्

• कार्याभिपत्तिम्: accomplishment/attainment of the task
• कार्याभिपत्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्याभिपत्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चिरकारी: one who acts after a long time; slow-acting
• चिरकारी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिरकारी
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• उच्यते: is called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Passive (Karmani)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse characterizes a person whose habitual slowness—extended thinking, wakefulness, sleep, and delayed completion of tasks—becomes a defining ethical trait, illustrating how repeated conduct turns into reputation and name.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes someone known for long delays in thought and action; because he completes work only after much time, people give him the epithet ‘Cirakārī’ (“late-acting”).