Shloka 19

प्रजापतयः देवगणाश्च दिशि-दिशि स्थिताः ऋषयः

Prajāpatis, Deva-Groups, and the Ṛṣis Assigned to the Directions

Devanagari script

गुणात्मकं कर्म वदन्ति वेदा- स्तस्मान्मन्त्रो मन्त्रपूर्व हि कर्म । विधिरविधियं मनसोपपत्ति: फलस्य भोक्ता तु तथा शरीरी,वेदोंका कहना है कि कर्म त्रिगुणात्मक होते हैं अर्थात्‌ सात्विक, राजस और तामस भेदसे तीन प्रकारके होते हैं; इसीलिये मन्त्र भी सात्त्विक आदि भेदसे तीन प्रकारके ही होते हैं; क्योंकि मन्त्रोच्चारणपूर्वक ही कर्मका अनुष्ठान किया जाता है। इसी तरह उन कर्मोंकी विधि, विधेय (उनके लिये किया जानेवाला कार्य), मनके द्वारा अभीष्ट फलकी सिद्धि और उसका भोक्ता देहाभिमानी जीव--ये सभी तीन-तीन प्रकारके होते हैं

Transliteration

guṇātmakaṃ karma vadanti vedās tasmān mantro mantrapūrva hi karma | vidhir avidhiyaṃ manasopapattiḥ phalasya bhoktā tu tathā śarīrī ||

Translation

ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ವೇದಗಳು ಕರ್ಮವು ಗುಣಾತ್ಮಕವೆಂದು, ಅಂದರೆ ತ್ರಿಗುಣಭೇದದಿಂದ ಮೂರು ವಿಧವೆಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಮಂತ್ರವೂ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಅನುಗುಣವಾಗಿ ತ್ರಿವಿಧ; ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಮಂತ್ರೋಚ್ಚಾರಣೆಯ ನಂತರವೇ ಕರ್ಮಪ್ರವೃತ್ತಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ವಿಧಿ–ಅವಿಧಿ (ಸರಿಯಾದ–ತಪ್ಪಾದ ವಿಧಾನ), ಇಷ್ಟಫಲಸಿದ್ಧಿಗೆ ದಾರಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಸಂಕಲ್ಪ, ಮತ್ತು ಆ ಫಲವನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸುವ ದೇಹಧಾರಿ ಜೀವ—ಇವೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಗುಣಭೇದದಿಂದ ತ್ರಿವಿಧವೇ.

Word by Word

गुणात्मकम्consisting of the guṇas (three qualities)

कर्मaction, ritual act

वदन्तिsay, declare

वेदाःthe Vedas

तस्मात्therefore, from that

मन्त्रःmantra

मन्त्रपूर्वःpreceded by mantra

हिindeed, for

कर्मaction, ritual act

विधिःinjunction, prescribed rule

अविधिःnon-injunction, prohibition/irregularity

इयम्this

मनसाby the mind

उपपत्तिःattainment, establishment (of result)

फलस्यof the fruit/result

भोक्ताenjoyer, experiencer

तुbut, indeed

तथाso, likewise

शरीरीthe embodied one

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Vedas

mantra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that action (karma) is shaped by the three guṇas, and therefore the mantra that precedes ritual action, the correctness or incorrectness of procedure (vidhi/avidhi), the mind’s orientation toward results, and the embodied experiencer of those results are all likewise conditioned in a threefold way by sattva, rajas, and tamas.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhishma continues his didactic discourse, explaining to the listener that ritual and moral action cannot be separated from the guṇas: the quality of mantra, the manner of performance, the mental intention, and the experiencer of consequences all align with the same underlying dispositions.