Shloka 11

Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)

Devanagari script

मनोवाक्कायिके धर्मे कुरु श्रद्धां समाहितः । निवृत्तौ वा प्रवृत्त वा सम्प्रधार्य गुणागुणान्‌

Transliteration

manovākkāyike dharme kuru śraddhāṃ samāhitaḥ | nivṛttau vā pravṛttau vā sampradhārya guṇāguṇān ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «L’esprit rassemblé, place ta foi dans le dharma tel qu’il s’exprime par la pensée, la parole et l’action du corps. Que tu choisisses la voie du retrait ou celle de l’engagement, pèse d’abord avec soin leurs mérites et leurs défauts ; puis pratique le dharma avec une conviction ferme et une attention stable.»

Word by Word

• {'manas': 'mind

• inner thought', 'vāk': 'speech

• verbal expression', 'kāyika': 'bodily

• pertaining to the body and actions', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• right conduct', 'kuru': 'do

• practice (imperative)', 'śraddhā': 'faith

• earnest conviction', 'samāhitaḥ': 'collected

• concentrated', 'nivṛtti': 'withdrawal

• turning away from worldly action', 'pravṛtti': 'engagement

• turning toward action in the world', 'sampradhārya': 'having thoroughly considered

• having deliberated', 'guṇa': 'merit

• beneficial quality', 'aguṇa': 'fault

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma must be practiced integrally through mind, speech, and body, with focused faith; before choosing either renunciatory withdrawal (nivṛtti) or worldly engagement (pravṛtti), one should carefully assess the merits and drawbacks of each.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war, emphasizing deliberate ethical discernment and steady commitment to dharma in whichever life-orientation one adopts.