Shloka 34

Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation

Devanagari script

सुरापान ब्रह्म॒हत्या गुरुतल्पमथापि वा । अनिर्देश्यानि मन्यन्ते प्राणान्‍्तमिति धारणा,मदिरापान, ब्रह्महत्या तथा गुरुपत्नीगमन--इन महापापोंसे छूटनेके लिये कोई प्रायक्षित्त नहीं बताया गया है। किसी भी उपायसे अपने प्राणोंका अन्त कर देना ही उन पापोंका प्रायश्षित्त होगा, ऐसी विद्वानोंकी धारणा है

Transliteration

surāpāna-brahmahatyā guru-talpam athāpi vā | anirdeśyāni manyante prāṇāntam iti dhāraṇā ||

Translation

ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಮದ್ಯಪಾನ, ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣಹತ್ಯೆ, ಮತ್ತು ಗುರುತಲ್ಪಭಂಗ (ಅಂದರೆ ಗುರುಪತ್ನಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಲೈಂಗಿಕ ಅಪಚಾರ)—ಇವುಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಪ್ರಾಯಶ್ಚಿತ್ತವನ್ನು ನಿಗದಿಪಡಿಸಲಾಗದು ಎಂದು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪಂಡಿತರ ಧಾರಣೆಯಂತೆ, ಇವುಗಳ ಪ್ರಾಯಶ್ಚಿತ್ತ ‘ಪ್ರಾಣಾಂತ’—ಅಂದರೆ ಯಾವುದಾದರೂ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ಜೀವಿತವನ್ನು ಅಂತ್ಯಗೊಳಿಸುವುದೇ.

Word by Word

• {'surāpāna': 'drinking surā

• consumption of intoxicating liquor', 'brahmahatyā': 'killing of a brāhmaṇa

• brahmin-slaying (a major sin)', 'guru-talpam': 'the guru’s bed

• euphemism for adultery with the teacher’s wife', 'athāpi vā': 'or even

• and also', 'anirdeśyāni': 'not to be specified/prescribed

• beyond (ordinary) prescription', 'manyante': 'they consider

• they hold (opinion)', 'prāṇāntam': 'the end of life

• death', 'iti': 'thus

• in this manner', 'dhāraṇā': 'view, conviction, doctrinal position'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• guru (teacher)
• guru-patnī (teacher’s wife)
• brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma classifies certain acts—liquor-drinking, brāhmaṇa-slaying, and violating the guru’s bed—as mahāpātakas so grave that ordinary ritual expiations are considered inadequate; some authorities therefore regard death (self-ending) as the only expiation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on moral law and penance, explaining how traditional authorities evaluate the heaviest transgressions and what they deem to be their (non-)expiability.