Shloka 10

संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative

Devanagari script

इन्द्रियाणीह रक्षन्ति स्वर्गधर्माभिगुप्तये । तस्मादर्थे च धर्मे च तपो नानशनात्‌ परम्‌

Transliteration

indriyāṇīha rakṣanti svargadharmābhiguptaye | tasmād arthe ca dharme ca tapo nānaśanāt param ||

Translation

ພີສະມະໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ: ໃນໂລກນີ້ ຜູ້ມີທຳມະຍ່ອມປົກປ້ອງແລະຄວບຄຸມອິນທຣີ (ປະສາດຮູ້) ເພື່ອຮັກສາທຳມະທີ່ເປັນທາງໄປສະຫວັນ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ເພື່ອໃຫ້ສຳເລັດທັງອັດຖະ (artha) ແລະ ທຳມະ (dharma) ຕະປະ (tapas) ແມ່ນວິທີສູງສຸດ ແລະບໍ່ມີຕະປະໃດຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ກວ່າການອົດອາຫານ.

Word by Word

• {'indriyāṇi': 'the senses

• sense-faculties', 'iha': 'here

• in this world', 'rakṣanti': 'they protect

• they restrain', 'svarga': 'heaven

• celestial world', 'dharma': 'righteousness

• law', 'abhiguptaye': 'for safeguarding

• for protection (dative of purpose)', 'tasmāt': 'therefore

• for that reason', 'arthe': 'in/for artha

• material welfare, prosperity, practical aims', 'ca': 'and', 'tapo (tapas)': 'austerity

• spiritual heat/effort', 'na': 'not

• no', 'anaśanāt': 'than fasting

• from abstaining from food', 'param': 'higher

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• svarga

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sense-restraint protects dharma that leads to heaven, but the most powerful instrument for achieving both dharma and worldly welfare (artha) is tapas; among austerities, fasting (anaśana) is declared supreme.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical discipline and the means to uphold dharma, emphasizing control of the senses and the exceptional efficacy of fasting as austerity.