Shloka 26

Devanagari script

त्वया कृतेयं मर्यादा लोकसंरक्षणार्थिना । स्थापना वै सुमहती त्वया देव प्रवर्तिता,आपने सम्पूर्ण लोकोंकी रक्षाके लिये यह धर्मकी मर्यादा बाँधी है। देव! आपहीने इस महत्त्वपूर्ण मर्यादाकी स्थापना करके इसे चलाया है

Transliteration

tvayā kṛteyaṃ maryādā lokasaṃrakṣaṇārthinā | sthāpanā vai sumahatī tvayā deva pravartitā ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—സകല ലോകങ്ങളുടെ സംരക്ഷണാർത്ഥം നിങ്ങൾ ഈ ധർമ്മമര്യാദ സ്ഥാപിച്ചു. ഹേ ദേവാ! നിങ്ങൾ തന്നെയാണ് ഈ മഹത്തായ നിയമം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് പ്രവർത്തിപ്പിച്ചത്.

Word by Word

त्वयाby you

कृताmade/established

इयम्this

मर्यादाboundary/limit; (rule of) propriety

लोकसंरक्षणार्थिनाby (one) whose purpose is protection of the world

स्थापनाestablishment

वैindeed/verily

सुमहतीvery great

त्वयाby you

देवO god/lord

प्रवर्तिताset in motion/caused to proceed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Deva (the Divine Lord)

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?

Dharma is not arbitrary: it is a divinely instituted moral boundary (maryādā) meant to protect society and sustain the order of the worlds. Ethical norms function as safeguards, not mere restrictions.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he addresses the Divine as the source of dharma’s authoritative limits, praising the Lord for establishing and activating a great moral ordinance for the protection of all beings.