Shloka 30

Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः

Devanagari script

यस्मिन्‌ यथा वर्तते यो मनुष्य- स्तस्मिंस्तथा वर्तितव्यं स धर्म: । मायाचारो मायया बाधितव्य: साध्वाचार: साधुना प्रत्युपेय:,जो मनुष्य जिसके साथ जैसा बर्ताव करे, उसके साथ भी उसे वैसा ही बर्ताव करना चाहिये; यह धर्म (न्याय) है। कपटपूर्ण आचरण करनेवालेको वैसे ही आचरणके द्वारा दबाना उचित है और सदाचारीको सदव्यवहारके द्वारा ही अपनाना चाहिये

Transliteration

yasmin yathā vartate yo manuṣyas tasmiṁs tathā vartitavyaṁ sa dharmaḥ | māyācāro māyayā bādhitavyaḥ sādhvācāraḥ sādhunā pratyupeyaḥ |

Translation

ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಯಾವ ಮನುಷ್ಯನು ಹೇಗೆ ವರ್ತಿಸುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಅವನಿಗೆ ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಪ್ರತಿವರ್ತಿಸುವುದೇ ನ್ಯಾಯರೂಪ ಧರ್ಮ. ಮಾಯಾಚಾರವನ್ನು ಮಾಯೆಯಿಂದಲೇ ತಡೆಹಿಡಿಯಬೇಕು; ಸಜ್ಜನಾಚಾರವನ್ನು ಸಜ್ಜನತೆಯಿಂದಲೇ ಎದುರಿಸಿ ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಬೇಕು.

Word by Word

यस्मिन्in/with whom

यथाas, in whatever manner

वर्ततेbehaves, conducts oneself

यःwho

मनुष्यःa man, person

तस्मिन्in/with him

तथाthus, in that same way

वर्तितव्यम्should be behaved (one should behave)

सःthat (this)

धर्मःdharma, right conduct, justice

मायाचारःdeceptive conduct

माययाby deception, by trickery

बाधितव्यम्should be checked/repelled

साध्वाचारःgood conduct, virtuous behavior

साधुनाby a good (means)/by good conduct

प्रत्युपेयःshould be reciprocally approached/accepted

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?

Dharma here is framed as fitting reciprocity: respond to people according to their conduct—curb deceit with appropriate countermeasures, and meet virtue with virtue.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance after the war; this verse gives a practical rule for dealing with different kinds of people—deceitful and virtuous.