Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

चिरमाशंसितो मात्रा चिरं गर्भेण धारित: । सफल चिरकारित्वं कुरु त्वं चिरकारिक

Transliteration

ciram āśaṃsito mātrā ciraṃ garbheṇa dhāritaḥ | saphalaṃ cirakāritvaṃ kuru tvaṃ cirakārika ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “For a long time your mother yearned for you, and for a long time she bore you in her womb. Therefore, O Cirakārika, make your ‘slowness’ truly fruitful today—protect your mother and let your long-delayed action become meaningful.”

Word by Word

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

• आशंसितः: hoped for, longed for
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-शंस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मात्रा: by the mother
• मात्रा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• गर्भेण: with/in the womb (as the means of bearing)
• गर्भेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• धारितः: borne, carried
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सफलम्: fruitful, successful
• सफलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सफल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• चिरकारित्वम्: the state of being long-awaited/long in coming
• चिरकारित्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिरकारित्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कुरु: make, do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• चिरकारिक: O long-awaited one / O late-born one
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिरकारिक
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Cirakārika
• Mother (mātṛ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should repay a mother’s immense sacrifice by upholding dharma—especially protecting her—so that even a naturally slow, cautious temperament becomes meaningful when directed toward righteous action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma addresses Cirakārika, urging him to act: since his mother long hoped for him and carried him for a long time, he should now make his ‘cirakāritva’ (slowness/long delay) worthwhile by safeguarding her.