Shloka 14

The Thirteen Inner Adversaries (Trayodaśa Doṣāḥ): Origins and Pacification

Devanagari script

अथ निश्चित्य मनसा शाल्मलिवातकारितम्‌

Transliteration

atha niścitya manasā śālmalivātakāritam

Translation

भीष्म बोले—“तब मन में दृढ़ निश्चय करके उसने शाल्मली-वृक्ष के वायु-प्रेरित कार्य को अपनाया—अर्थात् उस आकस्मिक, प्रबल प्रेरणा से उपजे मार्ग पर वह चल पड़ा।”

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• निश्चित्य: having ascertained/decided
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√चि
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), parasmaipada (usage as indeclinable gerund)

• मनसा: with the mind
• मनसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: neuter, instrumental, singular

• शाल्मलिवातकारितम्: made/caused by the śālmali-wind
• शाल्मलिवातकारितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाल्मलि-वात-कारित
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• śālmali (tree)
• vāta (wind)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical importance of inner determination: after reflecting, one should act from a settled mind rather than from mere impulse, even when external forces strongly provoke a reaction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a moment where a character, influenced by an event likened to (or caused by) a gust associated with a śālmali tree, first forms a firm mental decision and then proceeds accordingly—marking a transition from stimulus to deliberate resolve.