Shloka 28

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच रजसा तमसा चैव समवस्तीर्णचेतस: । नरकं प्रतिपद्यन्ते धर्मविद्वेषिणो जना:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca rajasā tamasā caiva samavastīrṇacetasaḥ | narakaṁ pratipadyante dharmavidveṣiṇo janāḥ ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—യുധിഷ്ഠിരാ! രജസ്സും തമസ്സും കൊണ്ട് പൂർണ്ണമായി മൂടപ്പെട്ട മനസ്സോടെ ധർമ്മത്തെ ദ്വേഷിക്കുന്നവർ നരകത്തെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रजसा: by rajas (passion)
• रजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तमसा: by tamas (darkness)
• तमसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• समवस्तीर्णचेतसः: whose minds are completely covered/overwhelmed
• समवस्तीर्णचेतसः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समवस्तीर्णचेतस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रतिपद्यन्ते: go to / attain
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति√पद्
• Form: Present (Laṭ), 3rd, Plural, Ātmanepada

• धर्मविद्वेषिणः: haters of dharma
• धर्मविद्वेषिणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्मविद्वेषिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• naraka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When the mind is dominated by rajas and tamas, it becomes morally obscured and tends toward hostility to dharma; such dharma-hatred leads to severe negative consequences, described here as falling into naraka.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma continues his instruction on righteous conduct and its opposites, warning that people who, due to inner impurity and delusion, become enemies of dharma meet a ruinous fate.