Shloka 46

Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation

Devanagari script

भ्रूगहा55हवमध्ये तु शुद्ध्यते शस्त्रपातत:

Transliteration

bhrūgāhāhavamadhye tu śuddhyate śastrapātataḥ

Translation

ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—ઘોર યુદ્ધના મધ્યમાં પણ, શસ્ત્રપ્રહાર દ્વારા (અર્થાત્ ધર્માનુસાર યુદ્ધકર્તવ્ય નિભાવવાથી) મનુષ્ય શુદ્ધ થાય છે—જો તેમાં કપટ અને અધર્મબુદ્ધિ ન હોય.

Word by Word

भृगु-हवमध्येin the midst of the Bhṛgus’ sacrifice/call (i.e., in the Bhṛgu-invocation context)

तुbut/indeed

शुद्ध्यतेis purified / becomes pure

शस्त्रपाततःfrom the falling/striking of a weapon

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

śastra (weapons)

āhava (battle)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma frames righteous combat (performed as kṣātra-dharma, without adharma such as treachery) as a means of moral purification: enduring and engaging the hardships of battle in a duty-bound way can cleanse one of faults, much like other prescribed disciplines.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhīṣma continues advising on the duties and ethical framework of warriors. This line emphasizes that even the violent arena of battle can be spiritually consequential when governed by dharma.