Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ततः स धर्म वेदोक्त तथा शास्त्रोक्तमेव च । शिष्टाचीर्ण च धर्म च त्रिविधं चिन्त्य चेतसा

Transliteration

tataḥ sa dharma vedoktaḥ tathā śāstrokta eva ca | śiṣṭācīrṇaś ca dharmaś ca trividhaṁ cintya cetasā ||

Translation

Kemudian hendaknya dengan pikiran yang teguh merenungkan dharma sebagai tiga macam: (1) dharma yang diajarkan dalam Weda, (2) dharma yang ditetapkan dalam śāstra, dan (3) dharma yang dijalankan oleh para śiṣṭa—orang-orang berbudaya dan teladan.

Word by Word

ततःthen/thereafter

सःhe/that (person)

धर्मम्dharma/duty/law

वेदोक्तम्enjoined in the Veda

तथाand likewise/also

शास्त्रोक्तम्enjoined in the śāstra

एवindeed/just

चand

शिष्टाचीर्णम्practised by the learned/virtuous

चand

धर्मम्dharma

त्रिविधम्threefold/of three kinds

चिन्त्यto be considered/reflected upon

चेतसाwith the mind

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?

Bhīṣma teaches that dharma should be understood through three complementary authorities: Vedic revelation (vedokta), śāstric formulation (śāstrokta), and the lived practice of exemplary people (śiṣṭācāra). Ethical judgment should weigh all three.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhīṣma continues advising on how to discern dharma, directing the listener to contemplate its three recognized sources rather than relying on a single criterion.