Shloka 6

Adhyāya 241: Guṇa-sṛṣṭi, Kṣetrajña-sākṣitva, and Śama through Ātma-jñāna (गुणसृष्टिः, क्षेत्रज्ञसाक्षित्वं, शमः)

Devanagari script

द्वाविमावथ पन्थानौ यत्र वेदा: प्रतिष्ठिता: । प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो धर्मो निवृत्ती च सुभाषित:,'प्रवृत्तिलक्षण धर्म और निवृत्तिके उद्देश्यसे प्रतिपादित धर्म, ये दो मार्ग हैं जहाँ वेद प्रतिष्ठित हैं

Transliteration

dvāv imāv atha panthānau yatra vedāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ | pravṛttilakṣaṇo dharmo nivṛttī ca subhāṣitā ||

Translation

വേദങ്ങൾ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിതമായിടത്ത് രണ്ടു പഥങ്ങളുണ്ട്—ഒന്ന് പ്രവൃത്തിലക്ഷണമായ ധർമ്മം; മറ്റൊന്ന് നിവൃത്തിയെന്നു സുന്ദരമായി ഉപദേശിക്കപ്പെട്ട ധർമ്മം.

Word by Word

द्वौtwo

इमौthese (two)

अथnow/then

पन्थानौpaths/ways

यत्रwhere

वेदाःthe Vedas

प्रतिष्ठिताःare established/founded

प्रवृत्ति-लक्षणःhaving the mark of activity (pravṛtti)

धर्मःdharma; duty/law

निवृत्तिःwithdrawal/cessation (nivṛtti)

चand

सुभाषितःwell-spoken; well-declared

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Vedas

pravṛtti (path of action)

nivṛtti (path of renunciation)

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?

Bhishma frames Vedic dharma as having two legitimate orientations: pravṛtti (ethical engagement in duties and social life) and nivṛtti (ethical withdrawal aimed at renunciation and liberation).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma is classifying dharma into two Veda-grounded paths, preparing the listener to understand when action-based duty is appropriate and when renunciatory discipline is praised.