Shloka 28

Devanagari script

आशभ्यन्तरं भयं रक्ष्यमसारं बाह्ृतो भयम्‌

Transliteration

āśābhyantaraṁ bhayaṁ rakṣyam asāraṁ bāhṛto bhayam

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Jagalah diri dari rasa takut yang timbul di dalam karena harapan dan dahaga keinginan; sedangkan takut yang datang dari luar, sebaliknya, tidak kukuh dan tanpa hakikat yang menetap. Sebab kegelisahan batin—lahir dari hasrat—lebih dalam menggoyahkan keteguhan dan dharma daripada ancaman dari luar.”

Word by Word

आशभ्यhaving seized/held fast

अन्तरम्inner, internal

भयम्fear

रक्ष्यम्to be protected / should be guarded

असारम्insubstantial, worthless

बाह्यतःfrom outside / externally

भयम्fear

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

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

What is the core teaching?

Fear rooted in inner hope and craving is the more dangerous enemy; it should be restrained, because it destabilizes judgment and dharmic conduct, whereas external threats are comparatively transient and less controlling.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising on right conduct and mental discipline, emphasizing mastery over internal impulses—here, the anxiety generated by hope/desire.