Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अधर्मनिरतो मूढो मिथ्या यो वै द्विजातिषु । दद्यान्मर्मातिगं शोकं त॑ विद्याद्‌ ब्रद्मघातिनम्‌

Transliteration

adharmanirato mūḍho mithyā yo vai dvijātiṣu | dadyān marmātigaṃ śokaṃ taṃ vidyād brahmaghātinam ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അധർമത്തിൽ ആസക്തനായ മൂഢൻ ദ്വിജന്മാരെക്കുറിച്ച് മിഥ്യാനിന്ദ നടത്തി മർമം തുളയ്ക്കുന്ന ദുഃഖം വരുത്തിയാൽ, അവനെ ബ്രഹ്മഘാതിയെന്നു അറിയണം।

Word by Word

अधर्मनिरतःengaged in unrighteousness

मूढःdeluded, foolish

मिथ्याfalsely, untruly

यःwho

वैindeed

द्विजातिषुamong the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)

दद्यात्should give / would cause (to give)

मर्मातिगम्piercing the vital parts / heart-piercing

शोकम्grief, sorrow

तम्him

विद्यात्should know

ब्रह्मघातिनम्a slayer of a Brahmin (brahma-killer)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

dvija (twice-born)

brāhmaṇa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

False and malicious speech directed at the twice-born—especially speech that causes deep, piercing anguish—is treated as a grave moral offense, comparable in severity to brahmahatyā (the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction on dharma, emphasizing ethical restraint in conduct and speech; here he warns that slander and harmful falsehood toward the dvijas brings extreme culpability.