Shloka 23

भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation

Devanagari script

परंतु जो ज्ञान एक कार्यरूप शरीरमें ही सम्पूर्णके सदूृश आसक्त है तथा जो बिना युक्तिवाला, तात्विक अर्थसे रहित और तुच्छ है, वह तामस कहा गया हैः ।। नियतं४ सड़रहितमरागद्वेषत:" कृतम्‌ | अफललप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्‌ सात््विकमुच्यते,जो कर्म शास्त्रविधिसे नियत किया हुआ और कर्तापनके अभिमानसे रहित हो तथा फल न चाहनेवाले पुरुषद्वारा बिना राग-द्वेषके किया गया हो*--वह सात्त्विक कहा जाता है?

Transliteration

niyataṁ saṅgarahitam arāgadveṣataḥ kṛtam | aphalaprepsunā karma yat tat sāttvikam ucyate ||

Translation

ശാസ്ത്രവിധിപ്രകാരം കർത്തവ്യമായി നിർണ്ണയിച്ച് ചെയ്യപ്പെടുന്നതും, ആസക്തിയില്ലാത്തതും, കർത്തൃത്വ അഹങ്കാരരഹിതവും, രാഗദ്വേഷമുക്തവും, ഫലാപേക്ഷയില്ലാത്തവൻ ചെയ്യുന്ന കർമവും—അതിനെ സാത്ത്വികം എന്നു പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

niyatamregulated, prescribed

saṅga-rahitamfree from attachment

arāga-dveṣataḥfrom/owing to absence of passion and hatred; without likes and dislikes

kṛtamdone, performed

aphala-prepsunāby one who does not desire fruit (result)

karmaaction, deed

yatwhich

tatthat

sāttvikamsattvic, of goodness

ucyateis said, is called

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna (as speaker, per supplied metadata)

śāstra (scriptural injunction, as authority)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sāttvika action is duty performed according to śāstra, without attachment, without egoistic doership, and without craving for results—remaining even-minded beyond personal likes and dislikes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Bhīṣma Parva’s ethical instruction on the guṇas, the speaker defines the hallmark of sāttvika karma, contrasting it with lower-quality action driven by attachment, aversion, or fruit-seeking.