Shloka 8

Devanagari script

यो हि वच्िद्‌ द्विज॑ हन्याद्‌ गांच लोकस्य मातरम्‌

Transliteration

yo hi kaścid dvija hanyād gāṁ lokasya mātaram

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຖ້າຊາຍຜູ້ເກີດສອງຄັ້ງ (ທະວິຊະ) ຄົນໃດຂ້າງົວ—ແມ່ຂອງໂລກ—ຜູ້ນັ້ນຈະກໍ່ກຳຜິດອັນໜັກໜ່ວງ; ເພາະງົວຖືກຍົກຍ້ອງໃນທຳມະວ່າເປັນຜູ້ເກື້ອກູນທົ່ວໄປ ແລະເປັນເຄື່ອງໝາຍແຫ່ງການຄຸ້ມຄອງທີ່ພຶງມີຕໍ່ຜູ້ບໍ່ມີຄວາມຜິດ».

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• कश्चित्: someone/anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विजम्: a twice-born (brahmin etc.)
• द्विजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हन्यात्: should kill/might kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• गाम्: a cow
• गाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• लोकस्य: of the world/people
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• dvija
• cow (go/gā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity of harming a cow, portraying her as “mother of the world,” and thus frames cow-protection as a significant duty within dharma, especially for the dvija who is expected to embody restraint and righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and conduct; here he emphasizes the serious moral fault incurred by killing a cow, using the epithet “mother of the world” to heighten the injunction.