Shloka 19

Devanagari script

स्वयं मृत्पिण्डभूतस्य परतन्त्रस्य सर्वदा । को हेतु: स्वजन पोष्टूं रक्षितुं वादृढात्मन:,“जो स्वयं ही शरीरकी दृष्टिसे मिट्टीका लोंदामात्र है, सर्वदा परतन्त्र है, वह अदृढ़ मनवाला मनुष्य स्वजनोंका पोषण और रक्षण करनेमें कैसे समर्थ हो सकता है?”

Transliteration

svayaṁ mṛtpiṇḍabhūtasya paratantrasya sarvadā | ko hetuḥ svajanaṁ poṣṭuṁ rakṣituṁ vā dṛḍhātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Bila seseorang pada hakikatnya—dalam ukuran jasmani—hanyalah segumpal tanah dan senantiasa bergantung pada kuasa di luar dirinya, alasan apa yang ada baginya untuk mengaku mampu menafkahi dan melindungi kaum kerabat? Bagi jiwa yang tak teguh, klaim sebagai pelindung hanyalah kosong.

Word by Word

स्वयम्oneself

मृत्-पिण्ड-भूतस्यof one who has become (is) a lump of clay

परतन्त्रस्यof one dependent on others

सर्वदाalways

कःwho?/what?

हेतुःcause/means/ability (ground)

स्वजनान्one's own people/kinsmen

पोष्टुम्to nourish/support

रक्षितुम्to protect

वाor/and (disjunctive)

अदृढ-आत्मनःof one whose mind/self is not firm

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

svajana (one’s own people/kinsmen)

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?

Without inner steadiness and self-mastery, a person cannot truly fulfill the ethical responsibilities of sustaining and protecting dependents; bodily strength and social claims are unreliable when one remains fundamentally dependent and unstable.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhīṣma challenges the notion that an unsteady person can act as a reliable protector of family and dependents, emphasizing the primacy of inner firmness for righteous leadership.