Shloka 34

Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

यस्य वाड्मनसी स्यातां सम्यक्‌ प्रणिहिते सदा

Transliteration

yasya vāḍmanasī syātāṃ samyak praṇihite sadā

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ആരുടെയോ വാക്കും മനസ്സും എപ്പോഴും യഥാവിധി നിയന്ത്രിതമായി സ്ഥിരമായി നിയുക്തമായിരിക്കുമോ—”

Word by Word

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• वाक्: speech
• वाक्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मनसी: mind (and)
• मनसी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Dual

• स्याताम्: may be / should be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Dual, Parasmaipada

• सम्यक्: properly, rightly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक्

• प्रणिहिते: when (they are) directed/placed (upon something)
• प्रणिहिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-नि-धा
• Form: Feminine/Neuter, Locative, Dual, Past passive participle (क्त)

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical self-mastery: true discipline begins with governing both speech and mind, keeping them rightly directed at all times.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct; here he begins a statement praising the person whose mind and speech are consistently well-controlled.