Shloka 23
Devanagari script
जातमेवान्तको<न्ताय जरा चाभ्येति देहिनम्
Transliteration
jātam evāntako 'ntāya jarā cābhyeti dehinam
Translation
ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—જન્મતાં જ અંત માટે અંતક (મૃત્યુ) આગળ વધે છે; અને જરા પણ દેહધારી પર ચઢતી આવે છે।
Word by Word
जातम्born (one/that which is born)
जातम्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootजात (√जन्)
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
एवindeed/just
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
अन्तकःDeath (the ender)
अन्तकः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअन्तक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अन्तायfor the end / towards the end
अन्ताय:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootअन्त
FormMasculine, Dative, Singular
जराold age/decay
जरा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजरा
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
अभ्येतिapproaches/comes upon
अभ्येति:
TypeVerb
Root√इ (अभि-इ)
FormPresent (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
देहिनम्the embodied being
देहिनम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootदेहिन्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
भ
भीष्म (Bhīṣma)अ
अन्तक (Antaka, Death)ज
जरा (Jarā, Old Age)द
देहिन् (Dehin, the embodied being)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Birth itself initiates an irreversible movement toward death, and aging steadily overtakes the embodied; therefore one should live with ethical urgency, humility, and detachment, recognizing the inevitability of decline and the limits of worldly security.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma continues his counsel by highlighting a universal truth about embodied life—death and old age are not distant possibilities but constant companions from the moment of birth—framing the listener’s mindset for dharmic reflection and right conduct.