Shloka 153

Devanagari script

आत्मानमात्मना हन्ति पापो निकृतिजीवन: । सज्जनोंका धर्म सदा सत्पुरुषोंमें ही रहा है। अतः उसका आश्रय लेकर उसे नष्ट न करे। धर्मयुद्धमें तत्पर हुआ जो क्षत्रिय अधर्मसे विजय पाता है, छल-कपटको जीविकाका साधन बनानेवाला वह पापी स्वयं ही अपना नाश करता है

Transliteration

ātmānam ātmanā hanti pāpo nikṛtijīvanaḥ |

Translation

ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: ຄົນບາບຜູ້ໃຊ້ການຫລອກລວງເປັນອາຊີບ ຍ່ອມທຳລາຍຕົນເອງດ້ວຍຕົນເອງ. ທັມມະສະຖິດຢູ່ກັບຄົນດີ ແລະ ຜູ້ສູງສົ່ງຢ່າງແທ້ຈິງ; ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຄວນອາໄສມັນເປັນທີ່ພຶ່ງ ແລະ ຢ່າເຮັດໃຫ້ມັນພິນາດ. ແມ່ນແຕ່ໃນສົງຄາມ ກະສັດນັກຮົບ (ກະສັດຕະຣິຍະ) ຜູ້ຫາຊັຍດ້ວຍອະທັມມະ—ດ້ວຍການຫລອກລວງ ແລະ ການທໍລະຍົດ—ຍ່ອມນຳຄວາມພິນາດມາໃຫ້ຕົນເອງ.

Word by Word

आत्मानम्oneself (as object)

आत्मनाby oneself

हन्तिkills/destroys

पापःsinful (man)

निकृतिजीवनःone whose livelihood is deceit/cheating

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That deceit as a way of life is ultimately self-destructive: a person who pursues victory or gain through adharma undermines his own welfare. Dharma is sustained among the good, so one should rely on it rather than damage it for short-term success.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on kingship and dharma after the war. Here he warns that even in the context of warfare, a kṣatriya must not seek victory through fraud; such conduct rebounds upon the doer and leads to ruin.