Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अहं कस्य कुतो वापि कः को मे ह भवेदिति । प्रयोजनमतिर्नित्यमेवं मोक्षाश्रमे वसेत्‌,“मैं किसका हूँ? कहाँसे आया हूँ, मेरा कौन है? तथा इस जीवनका प्रयोजन क्या है?! इत्यादि बातोंका सदा विचार करते हुए ही संन्यासीको संन्यास-आश्रममें रहना चाहिये

Transliteration

ahaṁ kasya kuto vāpi kaḥ ko me ha bhaved iti | prayojanamatiḥ nityam evaṁ mokṣāśrame vaset ||

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「我は誰のものか。いずこより来たりしや。まことに我がものとは誰か。この生の目的は何か。」出家の行者は、かかる問いを絶えず心に抱いて解脱のアーシュラマに住すべきである—執着をゆるめ、自由へと向かわせる不動の省察のうちに。

Word by Word

अहम्I

कस्यof whom / whose

कुतःfrom where

वाor

अपिalso / even

कःwho

मेof me / my

हindeed (emphatic particle)

भवेत्might be / could be

इतिthus (quotative)

प्रयोजनमतिःthought/concern about purpose (of life)

नित्यम्always

एवम्thus / in this manner

मोक्षाश्रमेin the moksha-āśrama (renunciate stage)

वसेत्should dwell / should live

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?

A renunciant should live with continuous self-inquiry—questioning ownership, origin, and attachment (“mine-ness”)—so the mind stays oriented toward life’s true purpose: liberation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva instruction setting, Bhishma is advising on the discipline of the mokṣa-oriented life, describing the inner contemplations that should accompany dwelling in the renunciant āśrama.