Shloka 42

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

Devanagari script

शमो5 दमस्तप: 3 शौच क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव" 5 च | ज्ञानं? विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं८ 5 ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम्‌

Transliteration

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca | jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam ||

Translation

ശമം, ദമം, തപസ്, ശൗചം, ക്ഷാന്തി, ആർജവം; കൂടാതെ ജ്ഞാനം, വിജ്ഞാനം, ആസ്തിക്യം—ഇവയാണ് ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ സ്വഭാവജമായ കര്‍മ്മങ്ങൾ.

Word by Word

शमःtranquility, calmness

दमःself-control

तपःausterity

शौचम्purity, cleanliness

क्षान्तिःforbearance, patience

आर्जवम्straightforwardness, honesty

एवindeed, just

चand

ज्ञानम्knowledge

विज्ञानम्discernment, realized knowledge

आस्तिक्यम्faith (in the Veda/afterlife), piety

ब्रह्मकर्मthe duty/work of a Brahmin

स्वभावजम्born of (one's) own nature; innate

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

brāhmaṇa (as a social-spiritual role)

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?

The verse defines the brāhmaṇa’s dharma as a set of inner virtues—calm, restraint, austerity, purity, patience, honesty—supported by knowledge, realized discernment, and faith. It emphasizes that true duty is rooted in character and understanding, not merely external status.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma Parva’s dharma instruction context, Arjuna articulates (as speaker in this citation) the qualities and natural duties associated with the brāhmaṇa disposition, presenting an ethical framework relevant even amid the pressures of the Kurukṣetra war.