Shloka 20

Devanagari script

मा स्म तांस्तादृशांस्तात जनिष्ठा: पुरुषाधमान्‌ । ये सहायान्‌ रणे हित्वा स्वस्तिमन्तो गृहान्‌ ययु:,तात! जो लोग रणभूमिमें अपने सहायकोंको छोड़कर कुशलपूर्वक अपने घर लौट जाते हैं, वैसे नराधमोंको तुम कभी पैदा मत करना

Transliteration

mā sma tāṁs tādṛśāṁs tāta janiṣṭhāḥ puruṣādhamān | ye sahāyān raṇe hitvā svastimanto gṛhān yayuḥ ||

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「わが子よ、どうかそのような卑劣な男どもを決して生み出してはならぬ——戦場で味方を捨て、己だけ無事に家へ帰る者たちである。その振る舞いは、武人の務めと戦友への忠義に真っ向から背く。」

Word by Word

माdo not (prohibitive particle)

स्मindeed/ever (prohibitive intensifier with मा)

तान्those

तादृशान्such (of that kind)

तातdear son / dear one

जनिष्ठाःyou should beget / may you beget

पुरुषाधमान्worst of men (base men)

येwho

सहायान्companions/allies

रणेin battle

हित्वाhaving abandoned

स्वस्तिमन्तःsafe, unhurt

गृहान्homes

ययुःwent/returned

तातdear son / dear one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

tata (addressed listener: dear son)

sahayas (comrades/allies)

rana (battlefield)

griha (home)

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 condemns the betrayal of comrades in war: abandoning allies to save oneself is adharma and marks one as ‘puruṣādhama’ (the lowest of men). The ethical ideal upheld is steadfast loyalty and shared risk in righteous duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener (addressed as ‘tāta’) on conduct and duty. Here he issues a sharp moral warning against producing or approving men who desert their companions in battle and then return home unharmed.