Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अतः: पर प्रवक्ष्यामि लोकानां कर्मसाक्षिण:

Transliteration

ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi lokānāṃ karmasākṣiṇaḥ

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ບັດນີ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະກ່າວເຖິງຜູ້ເປັນພະຍານແຫ່ງກຳຂອງຊາວໂລກ. ແມ່ນແຕ່ມອງບໍ່ເຫັນ ພວກເຂົາກໍຍັງເຝົ້າເບິ່ງການກະທຳດີແລະຊົ່ວຂອງສັດທັງປວງຢູ່ເສມອ; ແລະຮູ້ຄວາມຈິງແຫ່ງຍັດຍະ (yajña), ທານ (dāna), ແລະກຸສົນກຳ (sukṛta). ນາມຂອງພວກເຂົາຄື ມຣິຕະຍຸ (Mṛtyu), ກາລະ (Kāla), ວິສະເວເດວະ (Viśvedevas), ແລະ ພິຕຣະ (Pitṛs) ຜູ້ມີຮູບກາຍ. ນອກຈາກນັ້ນ ບັນດາມຸນີຜູ້ຖືຕະປະ ແລະມະຫາຣິສີຜູ້ສຳເລັດ (siddha) ຜູ້ອຸທິດຕົນໃຫ້ແກ່ຕະປະແລະໂມກສະ (mokṣa) ກໍມອງໂລກທັງປວງດ້ວຍສາຍຕາເມດຕາ. ພວກເຂົາທັງໝົດປະທານຜົນອັນດີແກ່ມະນຸດຜູ້ສວດແລະສັນລະເສີນນາມຂອງພວກເຂົາ.»

Word by Word

• अतः: therefore/from this
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः

• परम्: further/next
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall declare/tell
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Lṛṭ (simple future), 1st, singular, Parasmaipada

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds/of people
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: masculine, genitive, plural

• कर्म: of action/deeds
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: neuter, genitive, singular

• साक्षिणः: witnesses
• साक्षिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: साक्षिन्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Mṛtyu
• Kāla
• Viśvedevas
• Pitṛgaṇa (Pitṛs)
• Munis (ascetic sages)
• Siddha Maharṣis

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Actions are not morally private: unseen cosmic principles and divine/ancestral beings (and also realized sages) continually witness beings’ good and bad deeds. Remembering and honoring these witnesses—especially through name-recitation—supports ethical living and yields auspicious results.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he introduces a set of ‘witnesses of karma’—Mṛtyu, Kāla, the Viśvedevas, and the Pitṛs—and adds that ascetics and perfected seers also watch the world with goodwill, granting benefits to those who praise them.