Shloka 11

मोक्षधर्मः — स्नेहपाशच्छेदः

Mokṣa-dharma: Cutting the Bonds of Attachment

Devanagari script

लाभं॑ साधारण नेच्छेन्न भुज्जीताभिपूजित: । अभिपूजितलाभ हि जुगुप्सेतेव तादूश:,साधारण (लौकिक) लाभकी इच्छा न करे। जहाँ विशेष आदर एवं पूजा होती हो, वहाँ भोजन न करे। मुमुक्षु पुछ्णषको आदर-सत्कारके लाभकी तो निन्दा करनी चाहिये

Transliteration

lābhaṃ sādhāraṇaṃ necchen na bhuñjītābhipūjitaḥ | abhipūjita-lābhaṃ hi jugupsateva tādṛśaḥ ||

Translation

സാധാരണ (ലൗകിക) ലാഭം ആഗ്രഹിക്കരുത്; പ്രത്യേക ആദരവും പൂജയും ലഭിക്കുന്നിടത്ത് ആഹാരം സ്വീകരിക്കരുത്. പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് മോക്ഷകാമി, അത്യധിക ആദരത്തിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ലാഭത്തെ അശുദ്ധമെന്നപോലെ കരുതി ഒഴിവാക്കണം.

Word by Word

लाभम्gain, profit

साधारणम्common, ordinary

नnot

इच्छेत्should desire

नnot

भुञ्जीतshould eat/partake

अभिपूजितःbeing highly honored

अभिपूजित-लाभःgain obtained with special honor

हिindeed, for

जुगुप्सेतshould shun, should feel disgust for

इवas if, like

तादृशःsuch a one (i.e., a seeker of liberation)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

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?

Do not desire even ordinary profit, and especially avoid benefits that come from being publicly honored; a sincere spiritual seeker should treat such honor-linked gain as something to be avoided because it can bind the mind through pride, obligation, and dependence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he gives a rule of disciplined living—particularly relevant to renunciants or those pursuing liberation—about refusing food or gain that is tied to excessive reverence.