Shloka 21

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

Devanagari script

नैव कन्या न युवतिर्नामन्त्रज्ञो न बालिश:

Transliteration

naiva kanyā na yuvatir nāmantrajño na bāliśaḥ

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Jangan menganggap layak untuk dipercaya atau dimintai nasihat: seorang gadis belaka, seorang perempuan muda, orang yang tidak memahami mantra, maupun seorang dungu.”

Word by Word

नnot

एवindeed/just/only

कन्याa maiden/girl

नnor/not

युवतिःa young woman

नnor/not

अमन्त्रज्ञःone who does not know mantras/ritual formulas

नnor/not

बालिशःa fool/ignorant person

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

The verse stresses discernment in seeking guidance: counsel should be taken from those who are mature, knowledgeable, and wise, not from the inexperienced or the foolish.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and practical governance; here he lists categories of persons regarded (in that traditional context) as unsuitable for giving reliable counsel.