Shloka 9
Devanagari script
अस्माकं विहिता वृत्ति: कापोती जातिधर्मत:
Transliteration
asmākaṃ vihitā vṛttiḥ kāpotī jātidharmataḥ
Translation
ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—જાતિધર્મ અનુસાર અમારે માટે ‘કપોતવૃત્તિ’ જ વિહિત જીવનવર્તન છે।
Word by Word
अस्माकम्of us / our
अस्माकम्:
सम्बन्ध
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
Form—, षष्ठी, बहुवचन
विहिताordained / prescribed
विहिता:
विशेषण
TypeAdjective
Rootवि + धा (धातु) → विहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
वृत्तिःmode of life / conduct / livelihood
वृत्तिः:
कर्ता
TypeNoun
Rootवृत्ति
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
कापोतीpigeon-like / pertaining to the pigeon
कापोती:
विशेषण
TypeAdjective
Rootकापोती
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
जातिधर्मतःfrom (our) class-nature / by the law of species
जातिधर्मतः:
अपादान
TypeNoun
Rootजाति + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
One should follow a livelihood and conduct that is ‘prescribed’ and aligned with one’s inherent nature (jāti-dharma/svadharma), here exemplified by the gentle, non-aggressive ‘pigeon-like’ way of living.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Śānti Parva, he states a principle of ethical living: the proper ‘vṛtti’ (way of life) is the one ordained for a being according to its innate duty, illustrated through the metaphor of a pigeon’s simple, harmless conduct.